In the Path of the Ravager
by AncientDoom
Summary: It's been a few years and NOW everyone wants Varus dead! Why couldn't they have wanted him dead while he was a Sith? Rated T for -mild cursing- and -violence-. Focuses on drama, humor, adventure, and some romance. Galen/Ahsoka and OC's galore. Sequel to "In the Path of Revan"
1. Summary

DO NOT READ THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE READ "In the Path of Revan". This is a sequel. or just read the summary if you want to skip Season 1.

In the Path of The Ravager takes place 5 years after In the Path of Revan. There is a lot of stuff that happened between, but not enough to warrant its own fiction. Instead there will be back-stories and explanations to fill in the gap.

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**Here is a Summary of Season One:**

**Starkiller, apprentice to the deceased Darth Nihilus, was tricked by Darth Sidius into becoming a puppet of the Jedi through a force mind-wipe. He was renamed Varus Wynn and assigned to Anakin Skywalker as his second Padawan alongside Ahsoka Tano.**

**Following a lead from the former Sith, Starkiller, they a Sith Holocron linked to Revan that was implanted into Varus's mind. The following investigation shed light on the fact that the Star Forge was still alive. Anakin Skywalker was assigned to follow the trail of Revan left in Varus's mind to find the Star Forge for the Republic.**

**Thus far they have landed on Dantooine and entered an ancient tomb of the Infinite Empire. Inside Ahsoka and Varus both encountered illusions. Varus's illusion was a version of himself, twisted and dark by the temple, and he was forced to end the illusion by promising to himself to eventually remember who he was. They recovered the coordinates to five locations that would piece together the coordinates of the Star Forge.**

**Varus returned home and moved out of the Temple. After a blood scan, he looked into information that was contradictory. He wasn't human. He was a Miraluka. The Jedi had been wrong on his profile information.**

**Despite the Jedi's hopes, sins of Starkiller's past are catching up to Varus. Maris remembers him after Starkiller murdered her Master, and sees him in the Temple. She has been told it is classified, and to leave it alone. She spent time in mourning, and has improved while Ahsoka was gone, but then someone kidnapped her and took her to a dark place on Coruscant. There, he talked with her, and showed her who her true enemy was.**

**And an unknown power called 'Manager' is conspiring against the Jedi, and while he died mysteriously, his legacy was taken up by a mysterious woman who also died. Just before death, she confronted Palpatine, and presented the mask of Darth Nihilus.**

**The second planet to on Revan's path has been Tatooine. There, Anakin is confronted with his personal demons, and his Padawans step up for him after they are captured by the Ghorfa clan: Ineh. Striking a deal with the Ineh, they will be allowed to enter Builders Valley for the Forge's coordinate segment provided Varus ends the Ghost of Ravine. Varus and Koj'Ineh hunt the ghost and Varus turns the ghost to his side after figuring out the ghost was actually HK-47, the personal assassination droid of Darth Revan.**

**While they are leaving Tatooine, a hunter, assigned by Palpatine to 'remind' Varus, encounters Maris, and after subduing her allows her to join him. Maris, in realizing the Republic had sent this hunter, turned to the dark side in her anger, fury, and loneliness of being betrayed. They followed Varus to the second planet, Manaan, and while Varus was in the process of returning from having reclaimed the next segment, the hunter attacks. Varus barely survives by accidentally stunning his suit with electricity, and the hunter is forced to flee as reinforcements arrive.**

**Then, on the third planet, Kashyyyk, Maris and the hunter catch up with Varus and nearly kill him. Varus, while close to death, enters a state where his body acts on its own and he remembers the fact that he was a Sith. While barely conscious, he kills Maris and the hunter with his unlocked power. It leaves him emotionally scarred, and Ahsoka mourns the death of her friend. After some heart-to-heart talk with the team, they admonish Varus of his guilt, but advise not to access that dark power again. Varus and Ahsoka consider his past as a Sith and conclude that his "amnesia" was not what they thought it was.**

**They head back to Coruscant when news reaches them of War. Windu confronted Sidius and forced his hand, sending the Seperatists and Republic into one final large-scale battle as the droid army tries to reach the Senate. Also, the Sith come in full force to go after the Jedi Temple.**

**The whole galaxy moves in these final days: The Revanchist extract Senators from Coruscant, the Republic generals either attack Confederacy space to take it or return to Coruscant in defense, the Mandalorians and Hutts expand in every direction, and the Jedi find themselves pushed to the Temple to fight for their lives against the Sith invasion.**

**Nihilus, bearing the face of Sidius, leads the attack on the Jedi Temple and begins a whole-sale slaughter of the people. The Jedi, and the clone battalian stationed there, put up a valiant defense, but ultimately cannot stop the Sith from entering the depths of the temple in search of prey.**

**Varus, Anakin, and Ahsoka arrive at the temple, in time to help, and Varus continues to show a darker side consistently growing inside him all the while, but cannot stop the Sith completely. Nihilus, still bearing the face of Palpatine/Sidius, duels Windu. Windu manages to kill his body, but fails to kill Nihilus. Nihilus rises from the body as a shadow and reveals his true form before them all, only to point to Starkiler in their midst and order him to return to his side.**

**Varus, fearful with the knowledge of what Nihilus can, and will, do, flees. The Jedi flee as well under Anakin's assistance after seeing Nihilus slay a hundred of their strongest with ease. The sight of Starkiller running from him, and how he still failed to reclaim his apprentice, enrages Nihilus, and he unleashes his greatest, and darkest, power. He begins a purge of all of Coruscant.**

**Falon is blinded by a touch of Nihilus's mist, but is saved by Varus as they flee. Anakin is pulled into the mist, and Varus stays behind to protect the last of his team. A few Jedi escape the planet and the purge, but still become an endangered species. Ahsoka is stunned at the death of her team.**

**However, Varus and Anakin were not dead, but shrouded in Nihilus's persona. After a brief talk with Nihilus, Varus comes to learn of the truth: That the Jedi wiped his mind and turned him into a Jedi against his will. Feeling betrayed by Anakin, whom he considered like a father-figure, Varus returned to his Master's side and fled home to the Ravager.**

**Anakin gives chase to Varus all the way to the Ravager, and Ahsoka feels them again when they leave Nihilus's touch and she goes after them as well.**

**Anakin catches up with Varus. There, he experiences of vision of how the meeting could go: With Varus killing him and Ahsoka in a fit of rage and pain. Rather than allow the vision to pass, Anakin goes in unarmed and offers himself in Ahsoka's place, and this opens up talking between him and Varus. After a heart-to-heart session with Varus, they reconcile. Anakin closes the door to Varus's personal chambers, hiding all of the boy's trophies among which was Plo's lightsaber, the man who was Ahsoka's mentor before him all her life. Varus willingly agrees to turn himself over to justice for his past.**

**After a brief reconciliation with the team, and the promise to reveal all secrets when they are safe, they come across a fragment of Nihilus. Varus casts him out, and Nihilus is truly enraged. He gathers himself up from across the planet and comes at them to finish them once and for all, and take back his apprentice. Varus leads them to the bridge of the Ravager, puts the ship back together through the force, feeds it with his own power, and brings about their escape in the nick of time and killing Nihilus in the wake of their Warp-jump on the planet's surface.**


	2. Prologue - Varus Wynn

**Note:**

**Okay, what I am doing is a series of chapters to start off and do a kind of… prologue/epilogue. It more or less covers some of the time span between Season One and Season Two. There will be MORE in terms of "stuff has happened in the last five years", but these prologues are meant to give the basic idea of what 'path' in life the characters are taking after the events at the end of Season One.**

**Because really. Coruscant is a rock devoid of life and the Jedi Order is down to its last thousand or so occupants. (some weren't on Coruscant at the time, realistically. But without a Council or Central Government for the organization, and without many of its Masters and Knights that it lost, or its archives and holocrons, then it doesn't have much to work from.)**

**So a lot of people are going to go in directions that are very un-canon.**

**I have also recruited the assistance of one of my biggest reviewers, randoomy. She/he knows Ahsoka best, and has all the while, since the very beginning, had the characters pegged beautifully and gave me a few minor ideas. She does some beta reading and advice in terms of Ahsoka's mentality from chapter to chapter so long as she/he is willing to offer the help. I'm not holding her to anything.**

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**Prologue - Varus**

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The last few days have been… difficult.

A year ago, give or take a month, I was mind-wiped by Jedi under the influence of Darth Sidius. Sidius promised me, Starkiller, a duel, over my right of ascension, since he was the killer of my master Nihilus. I was wrong on many counts. First of all, Nihilus wasn't dead, far from it. Second, Sidius had no intention of dueling me. Third, I was wrong to think the Jedi were all-perfect as their image presented. The Jedi are as whimsical as anyone else. They are just as human.

The part I don't get about them is how their Order tries to make them above what they are. Deny emotion, your better than that, blah blah blah. I went through all this time under the teachings, and what I got was the extremely-filtered-essential crap from one Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, my appointed master. I don't want to imagine what the other's would have told me or wanted me to do.

Regardless, the year was one to reflect on. It was fun. It was peaceful, as peaceful as my life has ever been, and I found something denied to me before. A family, as it was. Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. It was fun. If given the choice, I'd do it all over again, only without the mind-wiping.

Unfortunately that doesn't appear to be much of an option. Starting a few days ago I've slowly started to remember everything, due to outside influences, and it is due to that remembrance that I will be in trial soon. My master has a strong sense of justice, and knows it must be done, and I just… need it resolved. Starkiller never felt guilty. His ambition was his singular purpose and his focus kept him from acknowledging any emotion that got in the way, but I'm not like that. I threw away that ambition to keep my… family alive.

I used the Ravager to escape Coruscant. We went adrift somewhere and sent out a beacon. The ship was in pieces again, and our life support was gone, but we got recovered soon. It was a big spectacle too. People were all "YEAH! THE RAVAGER IS CAPTURED!" and one skeptical general… Onasi, watched us with a perception and wariness that was scary.

I turned myself over, and here I am. The trial should be starting soon.

The punctuality of the army doesn't disappoint. The door opens and a few soldiers enter in. They put a special collar around my hands. Being a Sith who has electricity flowing through him at all times, I warrants a special collar. I should feel grateful! Nah, not really. But not resisting and even trying to smile is worth something right? Yeah… they don't seem to be buying it. I'm also in new clothes and unarmed. They practically stripped me naked to ensure I didn't have a weapon on me.

They lead me down the hall and we enter a larger room. It's actually a lot smaller than I was expecting. On one side is a long table with a number of high-ranking looking military people. In the middle is a round pedestal. To the other side are two tables. On one is my lawyer and the other is my 'rival' lawyer, whatever the heck they call it. I'll just call him Hardback because he sits straight as a board. Tree-Hugger and Mother Hen sit in the back, further away, with a third person I don't recognize. Tree-Hugger offers me a reassuring smile, but Mother Hen avoids gazing at me.

Uh… okay? Did Tree-Hugger tell her everything? That might explain why she is so closed off.

The sight of her avoiding my eyes hurts, but I shake my head and shove the emotion away. It feels foreign. It hurts a lot more, and closer to my core, than it should be. I can't let it affect me here. Tree-Hugger notices her avoidance and shrugs apologetically, but his eyes tell the truth. He told her.

Yeah, I'm doomed. She's a witness.

Don't know who the third person is.

"Varus Wynn." The first general says. Some woman. She's very thin and actually very alien. She looks almost like a cat with very very short fur. She stands up. "You are here to answer to crimes you are accused of including forty counts of first-degree murder, two-hundred counts of second-degree murder, thirty-thousand counts of third-degree murder, theft, sabotage, and terrorism against the state." My eyes explode open. I knew I murdered, but 30,240 people?! Is she serious? "How do you plead?"

…

"Varus?"

"Oh, I'm allowed to speak?" I say before I think. Manaan I wasn't allowed! What am I supposed to know?

I'm actually liking this already! I'm allowed to talk! Wait… bad idea. I shouldn't be allowed to talk.

"Yes, Varus, you are allowed to speak, or your lawyer can do it for you."

"Uh…" I stammer. "Plead? I don't plead anything. I'm not asking the questions. I'm just standing here."

Tree-Hugger face palms and the judge stares at me blankly. What? I am not pleading for my life or groveling. I'm just standing here.

My lawyer jumps up and grabs me by the arm to lower me. He whispers. "What she means is, are you innocent or guilty?"

"Ohhhh! Guilty." I tell him. "I'm a murderer."

"Yes, but of all that? Or do you want a reduced sentence? Because if you just say 'guilty', you will be executed by tomorrow. If you say 'innocent' we can reduce the charges down and get life."

"Ah. That sounds good. What does that have to do with-?"

"It's a figure of speech." He tells me. He raises himself up and says louder, "Your honor, he pleads innocent of the charges."

"Very well." She nods and sits down. "Let us begin with the first witness."

The first witness is actually the third person besides my team. From here on, people are talking and moving so fast I have difficulty keeping up. The soldiers grab me and bring me off the stand to my lawyer and I sit.

Hardback stands up and asks the witness who she is and her relation to me. She was a Czercha worker and watched me on video cameras as I infiltrated a Czercha compound and stole research.

Oh dear, yeah… Nihilus had ordered me to go into a Czercha space station, take something specific, bring it back, and leave no witness. That involved a lot of dead people.

The talking became increasingly negative. She cries, she points at me a few times, she describes how I butchered people.

Then the cameras come out. Whoo! Home movie! Except its of me… Cutting security forces and scientists down like wheat and leaving a path of destruction in my wake. I wince with each one because I can see them in my memory. Starkiller didn't see them, he didn't care. They were just obstacles that kept getting in his way.

My lawyer asks some questions in my defense, such as why she didn't bring it out beforehand. She says I threatened her.

Liar! I never even met her. Trust me, if I had so much as laid eyes on her, she wouldn't be here. I don't doubt the material and her fear, but don't confuse it for me threatening her directly!

I tell my lawyer that exact thing. He turns the questioning over in that direction and points out the flaw, that if I had seen her, she would have been dead since I 'apparently' spared no one. It sounded actually very very bad to be saying outloud, but an hour later she is proven to have lied and the evidence is thrown out the window.

"That was close." The lawyer says to me on his return. "If that had held against you, it would have been several thousand third-degree murders."

"But it happened." I look at him curiously.

"That doesn't matter." He says flippantly.

Doesn't matter? Doesn't matter that I have blood staining my hands? Doesn't matter that I have to live with the nightmares of seeing this refreshed memory?

I close my eyes and recoil my anger. This is off to a wonderful start! Already this isn't doing what I intended.

Next up on the stands is Tree-Hugger!

"Anakin Skywalker." Hardback stands. "It is an honor to have you here, your reputation precedes you."

"I'm sure." He smiles, but it looks unnatural and fake. Is he just being polite or is he angry about something?

"Now, tell the courts, do you know the defendant?"

"Yes."

"How so?"

"I am his Jedi mentor and his master."

"I see. Did you know he was a Sith when he was placed under your tutelage?"

"Before."

"Pardon?"

"He was a Sith before my tutelage, not during." Tree-Hugger corrected.

"Objection." The lawyer says smoothly. "Matter of opinion."

"Overruled." A general states.

"Very well. So knowing he was placed under you, you took him in despite his history?"

"Yes, I did." Tree-Hugger nods.

"Why?"

Tree-Hugger opens his mouth, but shuts it quickly. He glances at me and says, "I was ordered to."

He nods and repeats it. "You were ordered to… Were you also ordered to bring him into war council meetings days after having him? Meetings he destroyed?" "No." "Were you ordered to bring him into a war zone with the uncertainty of whether he would do any good on Dantooine or bring about harm? Your own report states that he was reckless."

"Objection!" My lawyer says. He stands up. "Influencing the witness."

"Sustained." A general says.

At this point I lose any and all interest. There is only so much technical stuff I can take before I lose focus. My lawyer stands and asks questions of my history with him, pinpointing details that I wouldn't have considered, and Hardback does the same thing.

It lasts about two hours… I can barely keep my eyes open with all the crap. Its either something I've heard before, remember easily, or are words I don't understand.

More than a few times Tree-Hugger looks like he wants to say something more, but every time he says anything beyond an absolute answer, he is treated like a 'hostile witness' as my lawyer calls it.

He doesn't even get to his opinions or anything! Just straight facts! Yes, I was a Sith. Yes, he knew. Yes, he took me in. Why would he treat me like he did? Finally he is able to say something.

"Because what I saw before me a broken young man. He was a Sith and murderer, yes, but one molded by a Sith Lord since childhood. With the influence of the Sith Lord gone, Varus, I found, was just as easy to mold in many ways as Nihilus may have found. It was a bumpy road, but over the year I watched over him, he became a Jedi Padawan I was proud to have at my side." He looks at me. "And a friend." I smiled in thanks. "You would have never known he was a Sith unless told otherwise. He went out of his way to help people."

The questions from there, actually became worse as the time table moved to more… recently.

"Yes, I was scared, when Varus remembered everything from his past, both how he was wronged and the wrongs he did. He was angry. I had a vision-"

"Objection!" My lawyer stands up. "Are we allowing dreams into evidence now?"

"Sustained." A general states. "Please avoid delving into visions, General Skywalker. This is not a court of Jedi."

"Understood." Tree-Hugger nods. "I… felt… that under the condition of his anger, he would lash out and kill me. It took a lot of convincing, but I managed to resolve the situation and calm his anger. Once he was calm, he helped us escape."

He wasn't on the stands much longer, but the line of questioning didn't seem all that good. I know that his experience with me means a lot, but it seems professionally it's all about the facts.

Yeah, I'm doomed.

Next witness called was Mother Hen. She still looked down and unsure. Whether that uncertainty was of me or Tree-Hugger or herself or the courts or what, I couldn't say.

I still can't see what is going through her head, and it scares me. She's always been someone who's mind I can read, somewhat. Not like I'm psychic, but it's just… I don't know. I just know her. A connection or something where I can at least predict her train of thought.

She gets on the stand, but doesn't raise her head. She just stares at the ground blankly. I share a curious glance with my lawyer.

"Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano." Mr. Hardback begins. "Do you know the defendant?"

I smile and watch expectantly… but she doesn't answer. She keeps looking at the ground as though she didn't hear it. Her wide-eyed stare is getting scary.

"Ms. Tano. Did you hear the question?"

Still no answer.

"Ms. Tano?" A judge asks.

Her eyes well up in tears and she still doesn't answer. I turn in my seat to Tree-Hugger and we share a worried glance. She's not acting like herself.

Was the knowledge of what I was, and what I did, as Starkiller, this much of an impact?

After several seconds, the judges whisper amongst themselves briefly before the cat-woman stands up. "Please escort Ms. Tano from the stand." She motions to security. "It appears this witness is in no condition to make the stands. General Skywalker, would you explain this? She is your student."

Tree-Hugger stands up from the back. "Apologies, your honor. The last twenty-four hours have been… difficult. She lost a friend to madness then death, witnessed the battle of Coruscant and slaughter of the Jedi Order, witnessed both me and Varu-the defendant die only to learn we didn't, in fact, die, and then the escape from Coruscant was rather… hectic. Now being made to stand on trial against another friend under the accusation of so many murders."

The woman nodded in understanding. "Please inform her we feel for her in her loss, General, however, we cannot afford much time for her to recover completely. The Senate is demanding action of us, as well as the remaining Jedi. That this is a military trial is evident of how serious the pressure is upon us, as it is the only way left to alleviate and buy time for proper proceedings. We will allow her a day to recover enough to be able of sound mind." The other judges nodded in agreement and I was escorted away.

The next day, she never showed up. A psychiatrist informed us that it would take a while before she would be able to.

So I was called up to give my testimony. Testimony is a very long word that I needed translated, but I sighed and stood there. "I was born Galen Marek of the Miraluka. When I was a child, a man named Nihilus offered to give me a glowy-stick and show me how to lift rocks if I showed him where something was. I did, and he destroyed my family, my people for it. Out of anger, guilt, self-loathing, whatever you want to call it, I followed after him with the intention of killing him and became Starkiller."

I see the judges sympathize, but keep their faces neutral. "I was far too weak to kill him, and he never killed me. Instead, in return for doing 'missions' he would teach me more and for each Jedi I assassinated in the future he would do a proper duel with me with the full opportunity to kill him, rather than a spar. I don't know how many people I killed on my missions, as it was my assignment to leave no witnesses and therefore, no survivors. I don't even know who's side I killed or what organization I stole from. All I knew was targets, finishing the mission, returning home, and killing him. It was how he raised me for fourteen years and that mindset became everything to me."

My lawyer looks visibly upset that I'm being THIS honest, but really, I'm ticked off that he thinks so little of what I told him was the truth. 'My best interest' is supposed to be his job, well guess what, I need this crap settled! THAT'S my best interest!

"I turned my target to Palpatine, or Darth Sidius, whichever you wish to call him, when I believed Nihilus to have died to him. He told me he would smuggle me to him if I turned myself over to the authorities on Coruscant, and I did. I wound up before the Jedi Council and had a Force-Amnesia technique used on me at your Chancellor's pushing. I became Varus Wynn."

"As Varus, I lost my ambition, my revenge, my hatred. I still had my hostile instincts and 'vulnerabilities', but Tree-Hugger…" They look at me curiously. I shake my head. "I mean Skywalker taught me how to be responsible, how to think of others, and other things that you all take for granted as lessons. I don't claim to BE responsible or to give much of a crap about other people, but I stopped killing and worked to protect people. You have the mission statements, you know what I did as a semi-Jedi. I have no desire to kill people unless they force my hand. Even after I learned and remembered my past, and what the Jedi did to me, I had Tree-Hug… Skywalker's influence enough that I didn't resort back to the same anger, hatred, bloodlust, and revenge. Don't get me wrong. If I get in arm's reach of Nihilus, I'm going to break his skull. If I get in arm's reach of a Jedi besides these two, I'll break his nose."

My lawyer stands up to stop me, because apparently being that blunt isn't a good idea. But the judges motion for him to sit back down. They've realized I plan to speak my own mind. Good.

"But besides the crap against me by both the Sith and Jedi, I am both, yet neither, now. I have no desire to kill unless forced, but to protect while I still see the faces of the people I killed in my sleep. Yet I still want to kill Nihilus if given the opportunity. I don't want to die. But I don't want the deaths I inflicted to go unanswered." I pause and look to my lawyer. "Now, I'm done."

He doesn't stand. Guess he isn't up to saying anything now. Oh well, his loss.

"Very good, Varus. You may now sit." A general says.

I nod and sit down. The lawyer is PISSED. Frankly, I don't care. I'm not going to be his publicity stunt for winning a famous trial by twisting the truth. I'm here to 'kill Starkiller' in a sense. I'm not leaving until I do. If they want to forgive me, that's fine. So long as I destroy that dark corner of my mind.

'Recess' is called, and apparently that means a short break. Why can't they just say take a break? Why does everything need to use such technical crap?

When we return, the generals ask us to stand. One of the four generals, apparently a man named Carth Onasi, is the one who speaks. He hasn't said a word this entire time until now. "We have looked at the testimony of our one viable witness, looked into the records of the missions the defendant went on, and the testimony of the defendant himself. We sympathize with the position you were under as a child, but you were old enough later on to know what you were doing before an outside influence erased your mind. We also sympathize with this crime against you, and see you did change after that. However, while it may excuse a few crimes, we are looking at death in the thousands and undeniable intent to kill that goes beyond the norm. I came here expecting to have you executed in front of a firing squad, but the sentence decided upon is fifty-years in a maximum security prison without parole and no visitation rights." The other Generals stand and are in agreement. Not that the agreement wasn't already obvious with them having decided it, but I guess they need to show before witnesses that it was agreed.

The Starkiller inside me screams and rages, but I clamp down on it and keep him down. I close my eyes and put my face in my hands. If this is what it takes… then this is what it takes. It actually feels good. I was getting tired of running from my past. Now I shot it down. This trial will probably be a public spectacle.

"Varus Wynn, do you have anything you want to say?"

I raise my head. "You mean like last words?"

"In a sense."

I shrug and stand up. "Just a simple request."

"Okay?"

"Don't have my sentenced publically as a Sith or Jedi, just simply as Varus Wynn."

The generals share a brief glance with a few nods. The Onasi person says, "We will see what we can do."

I sit back down and let out a breathe I didn't realize I was holding. The lawyer rages at me in whispers, but I ignore him. He's already ticked me off, and I don't give much of a crap what he thinks. He gets the idea and stomps away. A guard is on me a moment later gently pulling me up and escorting me away.

As we walk away I glance back and paste on a fake smile for Tree-Hugger and Mothe-… she's not here. Right. Oh well, can't blame her. If anything, the affect the last couple days have had on her is only more guilt I have to deal with.

Doors close behind me and I face forward toward a ship that will take me away to… wherever. Doesn't matter. I'll get out when I'm old and wrinkly. I'm just so… tired of it all.

* * *

(A few days later.)

I stand in line behind other prisoners. I'm wearing something orange with a number on it and a special bracelet over my wrists. Apparently they have had to deal with other 'Sith' in the past here. Most of the other prisoners look like very high profile killers, illegal bounty hunters, and incredibly dangerous idiots. I move through the line and some… orange goop lands on my tray. It smells like dysentery.

I shrug mentally and walk away. The cafeteria is massive. There are about a hundred prisoners here or more and Republic troopers walk the paths above us in a patrol, as well as several dozen at the edges of the room prepared to jump in at a moment's notice.

Whispers and wide-eyed stares of wonder pass in my wake. "That's the apprentice of Nihilus!" "His master destroyed Coruscant!" "He's killed five-hundred thousand Jedi and-" Really? It was forty. The rumors are as stupid as they are boring, but the fear of me is obvious enough. With it being public knowledge of how my former master destroyed Coruscant all on his own, yeah, I'm going to be #2 on the galaxies most wanted list, even in here, and that includes from other prisoners.

I sit down in isolatation and poke at my food. Some yellow liquid comes out of the… potatoes? Not sure what it is, but on the inside I remember the time Falcon and I were joking around. 'IT'S BLEEDING! HAHAHA!' I snort in memory.

"You find something funny, runt?" A deep voice says above me.

I glance up without turning my head. There's a kind of massive hunched-back lizard with scales looking down on me from barely a foot away. Everyone's eyes turn to us, and he has scars over almost every single inch of his scaled hide.

Sounds like Mr. Tough guy wants to show me who's boss. Yeah, that's going to go well. I ignore him and shovel more in my mouth.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" He says in a kind of yelling-whisper and moves my platter away from me.

I swallow. "I wouldn't suggest touching me." I grab the plate and continue eating. Should I be bothered to deal with every low-life that crosses me path? That would leave me with a lot of wasted moments.

Another prisoner tries to stop Mr. Tough Guy and pull him away nervously. "Cracus! He's the Sith Apprentice to Darth Nihilus!" Sith!? I clench my jaw. I barely restrain the anger that appears at being called Sith. I'm not Sith. I'm not Jedi. I don't want to be affiliated with either of them, but I guess this is part of having your past dog you.

"Ha!" Mr. Tough Lizard says mockingly. "If he's the Destroyer's personal apprentice, then I'm a soft little pastry!" He shoves the other prisoner away and turns back on me. His hand is stupidly close to me.

"Whatever you say, Cupcake." I smirk. Even looking down at my food, his head is close enough that I see his rage and jaw open. Before he has time to think of doing something stupid, I stab his hand with my fork. It draws blood before I spin around and do a maneuver I'm used to. I kick him in the back of the knee-caps and send him toppling backwards. Normally a punch on the back of his neck mid-fall would snap it, or a lightsaber swipe would be a perfect beheading, but that's not what I do anymore. I have no interest in that.

He falls flat on his back with his legs still under him in a position that is more than a little embarassing. I return to sitting and already three soldiers are around me with lightning-staffs pointed at me. It isn't all that intimidating when lightning doesn't hurt. "You're going to be a lot of trouble, aren't you scum!" One of them growls.

I shrug and focus on my food. "I was just… playing with my food."

They pick me up and shove me in detention for two days. Fair enough.

I don't plan to cause trouble, and I don't want to. But I felt that taking Cupcake down a notch was message enough to the rest of the prison, and therefore, necessary. Leave. Me. Alone.

* * *

(Ten Months later.)

Cupcake still has a grudge, but the rest of the prison got the message. I sent an eight-foot scaled lizard to the ground like it was nothing and drew blood, hand or not. Even if a few are skeptical of whether or not I am as dangerous as my reputation truly is, I'm still dangerous. They leave me alone.

A group assembles around me, like I'm a "big boss" or something stupid like that. They share stories of girls and pictures of children. (Some of the stories are so graphic I cough in embarrassment at having to hear it.) They chide each other and crack rude jokes and laugh all the time. They would actually be reasonable company if they weren't murderers and rapists and political prisoners.

One of the little 'rules' around here is to assemble in groups for protection. One of the rules is to draw blood of an opposing gang in order to get in. I tell the people who 'think' of me as some boss that I will not protect them if they are stupid enough to draw blood to get in. They want me to sit here and keep an eye on them and make sure other gangs don't kill them? Fine. I don't care. Just don't think I'm some gang leader who is going to protect from if they stab someone in the gut and cause scars just to prove to me their tough.

Since then, things have actually be relatively calm. A few new people try to kill me like I'm some achievement to be won, and I always beat them down. One of them I didn't even move for. I just allowed the natural electricity in my body to make him realize that grabbing me by the neck probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. With each challenger I knock to the ground and walk away from, my reputation builds as someone not to make trouble with. I earn several detentions, but it's nothing big. I think the Warden recognizes that I am purposefully not hurting people.

I sit in the main lounging room with the 'gang' of people who feel protected around me and listen as they do the usual chiding.

"F***, man! You never did that!"

"I f****** did, F*******! I F**** him for daring to touch her! That F******* got the F****** idea! Don't F****** my-" Force! How many F's is this guy going to use? It grates my ears.

"Stop that!" I roll my eyes, and they stop talking. "That f-word makes me cringe every time you use it, plus it makes you sound like an idiot. Speak like an intelligent human being."

"Sorry, boss."

I groan and lay back on the table. "I'm not your boss…" I whisper, but they don't care. They want me to make sure they aren't killed by other people? Fair enough, but don't think I'm in charge of them or anything. I don't want underlings.

Really, I will protect them if I have to. These 'gangs' or something actually kill people over stupid things like… shadows. That still makes me scratch my head. I make sure these idiots don't kill in turn, and to be fair, a lot of the more… 'peaceful' ones migrated because of it. I guess even criminals have their standards. Which is fine, I let anyone near me provided they don't cause trouble with others or each other. There's only about ten of them, but its ten more than I care to have, personally.

An alarm blares and most everyone either panics or thinks someone did something or there's a riot or something stupid. I just lay here. If there's a riot, not my fault or problem. The 'gang' of 'idiots' who like being under my shadow stay here nervously. I know for a fact they didn't do anything.

Before long the guards are on the move. Many of them leave to go help take care of whatever, and the rest funnel us to a place more secure. 'Secure' in this case, probably being where they can control us better if we do something stupid.

"None of you should get involved." I make it clear. I sigh at the stupidity of people. "Some 'gang' probably had enough and are pulling a stunt that will get them killed."

"But, boss." Stop calling me boss! "What if this is our chance to escape?"

I open one eye and look down at him. "Really?" I blurt out. "Fine, go ahead. Go get yourself killed and murder some troopers in your bid to get your own life back. Two of you will be getting out in a year anyway. Decide whether it's into the arms of that girl of yours, or in a body bag. I'm going back to sleep." I close my eyes with a deep sigh and will the sound away.

It doesn't actually work. The alarm is blaring and I'm forced to head to this 'secure' room until the situation is under control. The 'gang' of idiots, which I claim no participation with, follow along.

We sit around in the 'secure' room. I lean back against the wall and just… do nothing. I'm completely calm. Compared to even half the stunts I've been in over my life, an alarm is nothing. It's less than nothing. It's boring really. The idiot's see my calmness and calm down in turn. It must be contagious or something, and they return to the usual banter of comparing the size of their humanity.

The door is shut and sealed and the guards get ready in case we do something stupid or someone comes in and does the same. Unfortunately, after a while, something like that happens.

The door explodes open and a bunch of army-people with guns storm in.


	3. Prologue - Ahsoka Tano and Rex

**Note: This is the first work that I have done with randoomy here.**

**This is the second prologue. There are a number of them to go before we get down to the meat of the story.**

* * *

**Prologue - Ahsoka Tano and the Clone Army**

* * *

There was the swish of the door opening, closing, the sound of receding footsteps and then silence.

She felt like she was falling. Every foundation in her life had crumbled or was in the process of crumbling.

All her life, since she was three, she had a stable foundation under her feet. Master Plo Koon had taken her away to a safe haven where she could be with others like her and not be singled out as different, where they would develop their gift to help protect those in need. In her small mind back then he seemed so strong, with such a profound sense of justice. She idolized him so much so that she aspired to prove herself worthy of being a Jedi like him. She took to the Jedi Order like many of her peers. She could still see the group of younglings struggling through it.

The two top of her class was Maris Brood, a girl renowned for her skill, but having difficulty with principles, and herself, being almost the exact opposite. They studied together and rubbed off on each other all throughout their initiate years, traveled to Ilum where they undertook the Trials and gained unique crystals to forge their own lightsabers with. That's it until Maris was taken by Master Shaak Ti at the age of twelve, and then two years later Ahsoka was assigned to Anakin Skywalker by Master Yoda himself.

Maris and her went apart as they no longer saw each other and turned into "old friends". The good kind that always had each other's back when it mattered no matter what they were doing, rather than leave them alone to time.

Being Anakin Skywalker's Padawan was tough. Master Yoda seemed to have paired them up with a specific purpose in mind and in the beginning his reasoning eluded her. But soon enough she could see her own flaws in her master, the overconfidence, recklessness, pride, temper, impatience and realized that someone had to compensate or they were both doomed.

The next few years were a rollercoaster, or so she thought. She had never needed to be responsible for anyone before, but under Skyguy she found herself helping keep him be in check just as much as he did her. Maybe that was Master Yoda's cruel way of teaching accountability.

Then she met Varus… If it was a hint at the future, her first encounter involved being called a 'slut'. Beyond that, it went well, all things considered with a very unorthodox Padawan partner. She found herself having to be responsible for him just as much as for her master. She expected to despise him, dislike him, or even be forced to tolerate him, first impressions considering; but instead found herself truly caring for a young man, a bit older than herself in nothing but age, who lacked every foundation she had.

Something as small as a lecture made him cower in fear, the slightest mistake sent him into submission, and the prospect of friendship was the greatest achievement imaginable to his currently-hallucinated mind. A kind word made him stare blankly as if he had never heard it before, and a gift of acknowledgment made him so emotional he couldn't help being huggy. (Even though he will deny it to his grave every time.)

How could she hate him? She couldn't.

Over time she was by his side as he explored his past. He found out he was a Miraluka and that his people were destroyed by Darth Nihilus, while he was the 'prince' of the Miraluka. He came to realize he was involved with the massacre as a youngling, and blamed himself when he had no need to.

In time he was the only person she ever knew who could make her happy or aggravated at a moment's notice and she couldn't imagine her life outside of the team.

Then Maris happened… She accused Varus of being a Sith and lost her mind in mourning. She believed the Sith was chasing after her and disappeared, despite Ahsoka's efforts. She reappeared insane and tried to kill her friend. Maris all but succeeded. It was only a day ago… She could still see the blade coming out of Varus' chest. And he had that stupid smirk as if everything was alright. She wanted to either smack him on the arm or tell him to shut it, that wasn't alright! How could it!

Everything turned upside and her foundation dropped out from under her feet. Her whole concept of the Sith as these inhuman beings that knew no mercy and fed off the suffering of others, was beginning to falter as she witnessed what had become of Maris and what would happen to Varus. To her, they were both victims of the Dark Side.

At first her partner was barely holding on to life, falling in a kind of stupor, but then cornered and on the brink of death he was forced to unleash the Dark Side with such terrifying power the likes of which she had never seen, killing Maris. She forgave Varus, he wasn't in full control of his actions after all, but it still hurt so much. And then there was that sinking feeling in her stomach, that she won't be able to do anything to help, events are getting completely beyond her control, something massive is brewing that on such fathomless scale that she is simply left out, utterly incapable of even affecting fate a tiny bit.

And then is when she learned Coruscant was under siege by the Seperatists and Sith simultaneously, while Palpatine all but publicly admitted to being the Sith Lord Sidius. The same Chancellor that had a more than creepy fascination with her master, who was the Sith mastermind behind Dooku and the Clone Wars, who was right under the mighty Jedi Council's nose. Darth Sidius, the reason she now felt all her efforts put into the war, the lives of countless clones wasted, a worthless sacrifice. She never liked him, but Master Anakin… he was close to Palpatine... he took it the worst.

Then her partner came to realize he wasn't just a Miraluka, he was the apprentice to Nihilus and a Sith Assassin for the very man who slaughtered his family. Her heart went out for him.

And then the Jedi order were sieged by the Sith and rather than focus on preventing combat, rather than focus on saving lives and getting people out and just leaving the books and servers behind, they threw themselves into battle with gusto just short of the hatred the Sith presented.

And then, again, Sidius was defeated and replaced by Nihilus, who all but left no survivors of her 'kin'.

As if that wasn't enough, she watched her Master get taken by Nihilus and… Varus… sacrificed himself to save her. Her heart plummeted at the sight. She felt cold… alone.

In true Varus style, that still wasn't enough. Not only did Varus and Skywalker not die, but they were stranded on Coruscant, and they had to do a sudden escape with a broken ship that was all but held together by duct tape!

And let's not forget that Coruscant, her home all her life, was left a lifeless rock by Varus's old master.

Not to mention the Jedi, her kin, the foundation of her life, were now left in so few numbers she could be classified as an endangered species.

But wait, there's more! The Jedi Order, who she all but worshipped, committed a philosophical, hypocritical, and preposterous act in RAPING Starkiller's mind to produce Varus. She may appreciate the final outcome in producing Varus, and Varus would acknowledge that it came out for good, but that still didn't help but leave her… disappointed. Hurt. Broken. Nay! Ashamed! Ashamed to think that THIS was the very thing she aspired to her entire life! A Council didn't exist to do illegal activity as though they were above it, but to aspire to GREATER things than ever, and be an example to all those beneath them!

And Varus, Starkiller, Galen, whatever name he could profess and choose to use now, had once been a mass murderer of tens of thousands. Ahsoka had no doubt in her mind that now that he remembers it all that he regrets every single bit of it, but it still isn't something easy to take in much less comprehend. He murdered a total of forty Jedi Masters and Knights in the name of revenge and duels.

She hated Starkiller, not the broken person, but what he represented and what his actions had caused. She could say that truly. Not necessarily a hatred of passion, but Starkiller was everything she was not, but in the same breathe Varus was everything Starkiller was not as well. Varus was almost Galen given influence by herself and Skywalker. Varus made it his mission to cast aside Starkiller, and she couldn't be prouder deep down.

And finally, at the end of this single day, with her mind and heart barely able to comprehend the sheer enormity of all she had seen, learned, and experienced in the last twenty-four hours… she was asked to testify in court to decide the fate of both Varus and Starkiller at once. Varus, whom she cared for so deeply, and Starkiller, whom she despised and rejected as being beyond understanding. Both were in her hands. And she had to put EVERYTHING into words. EVERYTHING experienced in the span of a year-long day.

All she knew was that she was falling… and she continued falling. Inside, she knew she helped destroy Varus at the cost of destroying Starkiller, but it was a pale benefit. She lost her foundation. She lost… her team. She lost Varus. She lost… everything.

She blinked and realized she was sitting in a bed in a bare room. The faint rumbling was a sign she was on a ship and the food by her was left uneaten. It was cold. Her arms and legs were stiff. The blanket was too tight. The room was too small. The white walls caved in on her and the flue scant lights bore down on her.

She needed to get out of here. This place was suffocating her. She needed some air. She needed to… move. She needed… she needed to do something.

She needed to see Varus, make sure he was alright.

She climbed out of bed, not even noticing her lightsaber on the side table as she walked out the door.

Rex was standing right outside the door leaning against the wall and turned his head at her appearance. "Ad'ika?" He asked.

Ahsoka walked by him and down the hall, but Rex swiftly moved in her way, and she noticed him. "Rex… get out of my way." She tried to move around him, but he wouldn't allow it. Her lowered disposure worried him.

"Commander, you need to return to bed! General Skywalker and I have been worried for days!"

"I can't…" She whispered, having given up moving past him. "I can't go back. I need to get out of here."

"And… go where?" He wondered.

"I don't know. Anywhere. Everywhere. Just not there. It's suffocating. Please… just-"

"Okay."

She hesitated, "What?"

With difficulty he lowered his massive stature down to be at her level. "Ad'ika, I've been on enough battlefields and seen enough death to know that even the strongest mind can reach its breaking point. If you say you need a break, I'll believe that. I only ask one thing: that I come along and watch over you."

"Why?" She wondered. "Why would you come? I don't know where I'm going or where I'll end up."

He shrugged. "We never leave a soldier behind. I'm not about to start now."

She nodded. Her mind and face blank, and he didn't press for a response. He stepped aside, and she walked aimlessly. He placed himself behind by several paces. As they walked, he grabbed a soldier and had the trooper let General Skywalker know that she was leaving and that he would keep a close eye on her. She was in good hands.

They took the first flight without even bothering to check where the destination was. Rex only checked to be sure it wasn't into a battle.

* * *

**(Nine Months after the Fall of Coruscant)**

Ahsoka was glad Rex was around. She doubted she would have been able to function as well in the world, the first few months, without him. She would probably be on the streets by now, or dead. She was messed up. After she found out about Varus' sentencing, it only made things worse. She was a moving vegetable, devoid of personality.

She sat on the porch looking out over the farm.

Of all places Rex chose to go that was quiet and out of the way, it was where some other clone had gone A.W.O.L. and started a family. Rex didn't ask her to keep it a secret, but after seeing the kids, and how quaint the place is, he didn't have to. If anything, soon, there wouldn't be a government left to report it to. The Republic's infighting within the Senate still hadn't settled since they reconvened. There was no Grand Chancellor, no king, no supreme leader, and a lot of the corruption in the Senate was now exposed publically.

There was no war, no battles, nothing. It was a battlefield Rex and his friend could not participate in, and where she could only hear of from news he would bring back.

The hovercraft appeared in sight and drove into the barn. The farmer-clone ran in. Some yelling started between the two clones and the wife of the farmer took the kids away. Ahsoka welcomed them to come sit with her. "What's going on?" She asked.

The woman shrugged. "Not sure, things have been quiet, too quiet. Something is going on. Hubby isn't talking and only looks more tense every night."

"This new-found Dominion or the Hutts getting too close?" Ahsoka wondered. One of the news recently was that the Confederacy had split in two: The Dominion and the United Systems Alliance. The Dominion was aggressively expanding and the Republic was too busy arguing with themselves to do anything about it. Rex had been getting more tense as well. The prospect of being unable to do anything was getting to them. Ahsoka just worried about the United Systems Alliance, they were not having a good time of it, if the news was anything.

The woman shook her head. "If a battle was getting closer, it would make the two of them feel better." She chuckled. "Hubby despises war, but he still is at his most relaxed when he is hunting or working himself to exhaustion."

"Hm…" Ahsoka nodded with a frown. Rex wasn't telling her either and he had been in yelling matches every time he comes back, and half the time she couldn't tell if the two clones were agreeing or not. They yelled when they agreed and just as much when they didn't.

The kids had an idea to cheer up 'papa'. They suggested soaking Rex's underwear in meat juice so the dog would attack him at dinner. That was the kind of idea that would probably make the man laugh, being at Rex's expense. It was the kind of thing she would expect from Varus. Ahsoka found herself laughing.

"Ahha!" The little girl pointed.

"What?"

"That's the first time you've laughed since you got here. We been wondering if you would ever smile."

Ahsoka looked curiously at the mother and noted her neutral concern. Tano nodded in acknowledgement. She hadn't been smiley or happy much. This was as good as she's felt in a long time.

Almost on cue, Rex stormed out of the barn furiously and stomped his way into the house. The farmer stood at the door watching him, and there was a hidden fury in his eyes that frightened Ahsoka. Something was definetely going on, but she couldn't tell who or what it was aimed at. It didn't look like they were mad at each other, but rather a mutual agreement of anger.

"I'm going to see what's up." Ahsoka stood. The farmer's wife agreed to do the same, sent the kids off to play, and went into the barn to see her husband.

Ahsoka entered the farmhouse and found Rex sitting at the table. His helmet was thrown to the side and he had roughly peeled off his upper armor. He actually broke a piece of it in the process. He had a quietly concealed anger in his eyes, like a volcano about to burst. She was used to it, being around Skywalker all these years, but Rex looked like he had a much tighter lid on it. He wasn't about to lash out, accidental or not. He was a professional. He was absolute. Every action was perfect and precise. Every word was chosen carefully, no matter how fast or angry it was. She felt perfectly safe standing in front of him glaring at him and demanding he tell her what was going on.

"Rex. You've been getting angrier every day for weeks. Something is going on. It's frightening everybody, including me. Now, are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to go through your brother?"

Rex looked up at her and sighed. "It's time we told you. Go get the others… this isn't just for me."

Ahsoka nodded and left to get the others. A minute or two later, they were all assembled. The wife looked like she was in the dark too and the kids anxiously sat in their chair. Rex and the farmer-clone exchanged a heated glance for standing side by side. They were truly brothers, whether they would admit it or not.

Rex put down a piece of paper. "This… is the recent news I got from channels from my brothers." He hesitated and the farmer picked up where he left off. "With the end of the Clone Wars, our brothers, and various Senators, have been pushing a bill that will give us, clones, equal standing in the Republic." Rex explained, "We aren't asking to be heroes, or considered anything more than the people we have been protecting. Only that we be given a place in the Republic we have been shedding blood for, for years."

Ahsoka frowned. This was wonderful! So why were they down… Oh no. Rex nodded at her dismay. "The bill was shot down with only a 14% approval yesterday. We are, by definition, a slave army now. Not equal. Not above. Lesser. We have no place in the Republic now but to stand up and die for a government that will not see us as anything more than... Than…"

"Lab-produced rats." The farmer growled.

Rex nodded and Ahsoka was infuriated. She was already getting a bad taste in her mouth from what she had been learning of the Senate's "dirty laundry" being exposed, but this?! This was no better than what the Council did to Varus in some ways! Varus was made, used, and cast aside! Okay, technically there were reasons, so the two scenarios aren't the same, but still!

"It's bad enough they made you with no other reason than exploitation! But this?!" Ahsoka hissed. She blinked. "No offense."

"None taken." Rex and the farmer mutually growled, with the same tone of voice at the same time.

"I agree, Ad'ika, this is too far! But… what can we do? Not like we can just…"

"Desert." The farmer finished, with obvious undertones. "Why not? I did. When I lost my entire battalion and was left behind as dead, what other options was there? I didn't have transport. Now we're all being put down and left behind as something worse than dead! As trash! What other option is there?"

"I-I-We…" Rex stammered.

"You're no longer at war." The wife added. "There is no place for you but by your brother's side. By your families side. And now your family is in danger by the very master's that bore you. Tell us, soldier, what are your options? Cold and hard, what are they?"

"Serve Or die." He answered.

"Then you need a third option, because those are no longer acceptable. What are you going to do?"

Rex looked between everyone and sighed. It was no small matter. They could be disgraced for abandoning their post. But they were already all but disgraced anyway, and there had to be people who were sympathetic. "I'm going to send out feelers. See who is most enraged by this out there both within and without. We're leaving."

* * *

**(Eleven Months after the Fall of Coruscant)**

The once quaint farm, filled with the sounds of animals and quiet of the winds, was now filled with the smell of oil and the sounds of running engines. Hordes of star fighters landed in a nearby valley and in the distant orbit rested The Harbinger, flagship of the Mandalorian fleet.

In the clearing just beyond the farm was an assembly of clones who came for the gathering. Clone commanders gathered from many legions including no less than two hundred senior commanders. Rex was a captain, but he was no senior commander. This accounted for two thirds of the total senior commanders.

Out of the whole gathering the ones chosen to represent the whole was Gree, Deviss, Colt, Dexter, Cody, and Rex. While Cody and Rex were not as high rank as the others, they were considered honorable enough to be so due to their achievements in the Clone Wars, and how Rex did most the work in gathering them together.

Ahsoka was there at Rex's request, but chose to stand back and stay out of the way.

In the distance, Mandalore's personal transport landed and a fighter escort landed around it on all four sides. The ramp lowered and Mandalore, in his massive golden armor stepped down the runway. The ones with him were Zaalbar, the Wookie System Governor, and a woman who Ahsoka had never seen before. She was tall, thin, and lanky. She had a grace to her that she had never seen in a Mandalorian, but also had the pride in her face. It was odd to see a Mandalorian so… thin.

Ahsoka had pictured Mandalorian women as being hulking figures.

Mandalore placed his rifle on the table opposite the clone commanders. He shifted his shoulder cape to reveal the cyborg arm, rather than conceal it.

"Welcome, Mandalore." Rex shook the man's hand.

The man simply nodded. "Allow me to introduce my seconds: Zaalbar. Governor of the Kashyyyk system, and Satine, Governor of the occupied systems of both Manaan and Korriban." He shrugged without shame, "And my woman."

Being his women earned a bow from each of them.

"Thank you, all." She nodded.

Mandalore turned his head. "A Jedi?" Ahsoka flinched. She hadn't expected him to notice her, she was so far out of the way.

Rex raised his hand, "Yes. I am watching over her currently. She has been helping me ever since I made the decision to do this months ago."

"May we cut down to business, Mandalore?" Gree asked. "We understand you to be a very forward politician."

"I prefer to think of it was blunt and straight." The man chuckled. "But certainly." He took a seat, as did the others. Zaalbar and Mandalore both sat in their chairs heavily due to their massive bulk, and Mandalore's chair nearly gave. The man must weigh half a ton as much armor as he has. Satine sat down with smooth grace, yet again something rarely seen in Mandalorians.

Mandalore removed his helmet to reveal a very broad face, thick chin, thick neck, wide nose, and forward piercing eyes. His hair was short and flat on top in a military cut. He had a thick scar running down the side of his face. He was every bit the powerhouse expected of him, except he was so pale it made Ahsoka wonder if he ever leaves the armor.

Mandalore bluntly started, "I am hesitant to admit the Clone army into Mandalore as a clan. I do not consider myself very politically minded, but we have only just managed to unite the clans at long last, and are in the process of restructuring the government from the top down to become a truly recognized galactic state. We are in a fragile state right now, and one of the few subjects to be politically discussed amongst the clans is our view of… you." He gestured to the clones.

Whether they took offense, they did not show it. Satine spoke, her words gentle and flowing like water, "We appreciate your request and sympathize with the injustice forced upon you, but accepting you may lead to civil war right now within ourselves."

"Is it because of the fact that we are clones?" Clovis wondered heavily.

"Yes." Mandalore admitted. "One of the principles in Mandalorian culture is purity of self. While it is no longer looked down upon to be a bastard, and purity of self is mostly created through action and honorable choices, your existence is a complicated one. Half of the clans feel you to be an insult to their existence while other's would happily take you in because they consider you equal brothers. And this is not some simple debatable value any longer, because if I choose to take you all in, then the simple heated debates would turn to civil war."

Satine continued from there, "Plus, there are so many of you. Not that we cannot take in refugees in large numbers, but you are a huge population of one-hundred percent males. It's not like we can scrounge up an equal number of women for arranged marriages, or do marriage auctions or anything of the sort."

"And you? Mandalore?" Gree asked.

Mandalore sighed. "While it is a concern on whether or not we even have enough females for you all, that is more your problem than ours. I am both, yet neither. I would take you in, but all the same I would keep my distance from you. I consider you to be honorable men, worthy of a clan, but you all bear the face of a dishonorable scoundrel and scum bounty hunter. I do not care to see his face everywhere."

He fixed a kink in his neck. "However, that is purely a personal issue I can set aside. What I cannot set aside is the problem of civil war that is very real. What I think doesn't matter. What Satine and Zaalbar think do not matter. What matters is how it would affect us. Yes, we would gain a large clan. Yes, we would gain a massive army. But the cost would be splitting us down the middle and losing everything."

The true debate started. The clones understood their concern, but a few of them had already tried the United Systems Alliance, and the Alliance, being formerly Confederate systems, were untrustful of their request. And the Hutts and Dominion was unacceptable, and the Revanchist disappeared off the map. They couldn't get in touch with them.

Some of the Republic had been making substantial gestures to them and were trying to reverse the bill, but a small ten percent was nothing.

The Clans wasn't just their best option, it was the considered only option. The other one was to turn around and conquer their own home world, a daunting prospect at best and unacceptable at worst.

Ahsoka listened to the debate and considered the problem. At the core of it, the Clans were newly united and such a sudden admittance of a controversial new clan would potentially shatter that unity.

Unless. It wasn't sudden.

Ahsoka wrote a note down and passed it to a clone to pass to Rex. It would be rude of her to just walk up and talk during the debate.

Rex took the note, read it, and turned in his seat to look to her with an appreciative smile.

"Mandalore." Rex inserted himself. "Let us say you provide us an isolated world in your system. A place far enough to put the worry of the clan's at ease, but also close enough that we might interact with them and help shape their views of us personally rather than with prejudiced hearsay. We do not need full acceptance into equality with clans that have been beside you from the beginning, but a chance to prove ourselves. We need a place with hope, Mandalore. That is all we ask."

The other clones nodded their agreement and said nothing. Their silence showing their agreement. That was what they all wanted. Hope, a chance. An opportunity to work their way to equality rather than having it shut in their face. They were not above work. After all, they had been on the front lines of an intense war for years on end. What was this compared to that?

Mandalore sat back in his seat and contemplated it. Satine brightened at the idea and Zaalbar looked pleased as well. Mandalore was the only one to look neutral, and his decision was where it mattered. No one could say whether it was a decision by vote, or if Zaalbar and Satine were merely to offer an opinion and discuss.

Ahsoka put her hands together nervously as the seconds ticked by. Mandalore's face was so completely neutral you couldn't even see the gear turning.

At last he said, "I'll make a list of planets for you to choose from. The one you choose is all yours."

Instantly a cheer went out from the spectators and the commanders at the table let out a deep breathe they had been holding. Mandalore said nothing more, stood up, fixed his shoulder-cape, took up his large rifle, and walked away. Zaalbar stayed along enough to shake a few of their hands, and give the rest a bear hug that made the hulking men wheeze, before leaving. Satine said, "We'll get back with you." She bowed with a bright smile and left as gracefully as she entered.

Ahsoka couldn't contain herself. She cheered with all of them, laughed her heart out, and cried for them. They finally had their place, or at least the hope of one.

Rex made his way through the crowd patting him on the shoulder and back to reach her. He barely opened his mouth before she hugged him too. "Agh! Commander!"

"Shush." She ordered, but couldn't help smiling like a buffoon. "I'm not your general, not anymore."

"Right." He said.

Sensing his nervousness, Ahsoka stepped back. He immediately was at ease again but she couldn't help bouncing up and down on her heels.

The man smiled too, the atmosphere was too gleeful not to, but he still lowered himself to her level. That immediately sobered her up. He only did that when he was serious.

"Ad'ika, I am no longer part of the Republic. Well, at least once we sign the paperwork, and that means I can't watch over you anymore. I have my family, and, thanks in part to you, we have a future. I believe it is time you returned to yours. You are better, no?"

Ahsoka frowned briefly in thought, but she couldn't deny it. She did feel better.

And come to think of it, she did leave Skyguy without saying goodbye. That was quite rude. He was probably hurting now… She didn't mean to abandon him, it just… slipped her mind.

And she did feel better. There was a lot of bad things in the galaxy. A lot of fake innocence and people pretending to be more than what they were, but there was also hope out there when people simply did what they could for each other.

There was good out there, you just needed to work at it or strive for it. Perhaps that's why it felt so worthwhile when you got it, because you had worked for it.

"I am." She smiled up to him. "Thanks, Rex."

He nodded.

* * *

**_Review! Snoopeh needs your good will!_**


	4. Prologue - Anakin Skywalker

**Notes:**

**Guest #1: I'm glad you like where this is going. :) There is a power vacuum, and that will result in a lot of changes. The galaxy will still be the galaxy, but with new faces. But you know what they say, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."**

**Guest Andrew: Don't worry, I will keep it going. I'm glad you like it. To be honest, your half as surprised as I am where the story is going. I'm not trying to send it in different directions every time you figure out what's happening. It just happens, and I find myself just as much a part of the ride as you.**

**Don't blame me, blame the characters! They tell me to do stuff! I didn't mean to! Q.Q**

**Guest "1": Uh, Jango Fett gave sperm to breed a slave army of Mandalorians. That's not going to get him on his people's good side when they see the clones as imperfections or slaves. Not that the Mando'a blame the clones or call them abomination's, but I would be ticked off if someone cloned my sister because they were too lazy to do stuff themselves like that.**

**I don't know if Boba will exist. To be fair, with more focus being on the Mandalorians in terms of power, I can see Boba returning to the fold and finding a place. I'll consider it. He would be a side character at most like Izthark.**

**Guest #2: Glad you love it. :) I aim to please! :D**

**Buckle up! Things are going to be a bumpy ride! All we're doing right now is making the engines hum before the crap hits the fan! AGAIN!**

**So far most people are leaning towards Ahsoka or Visas in terms of matching. I have ideas for OC's if they don't work out, but I'll see if I can make it natural first before I make anything concrete. It has to be natural for the characters. Otherwise I'll dump the whole idea and make it an OC that WILL work, because it would be a major part of Varus growing up.**

* * *

**Prologue - Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan**

* * *

"She's just been sitting there staring at nothing for almost two days now. How much longer will she be like this, General?"

"I don't know Rex!" came Anakin Skywalker's aggravated response. "I've been trying to reach out to her but she isn't responding. I'm not sure she's even aware of my attempts to get through to her. Ever since we entered that courtroom it's like she's switched on to autopilot."

To say that the Jedi Knight wasn't in a good mood would be an understatement. Padme was still nowhere to be found and there wasn't even a hint of her presence nearby in the Force. He could still feel her, but it felt distant, and he couldn't pinpoint a direction or specific distance. He had no word from her and the lack of news on her whereabouts was driving him insane. If she was saved by a Jedi, there was no word from her. If she was captured by a Sith, there was no ransom or threat, and the Force connection didn't feel stressed or hurt.

One of his Padawans, Varus Wynn, has now been robbed of all chances for a normal life because of his coercively wrought out past as Starkiller for no other purpose than satisfying the gluttony of one vile monstrosity named Darth Nihilus, a twisted aberration of life or an abomination of death, or worse, something that existed on the border in the realm of gods and demons. Now that Varus was sentenced to fifty-years in a maximum security prison, without parole, even lacking visitation rights to top things off, Anakin truly felt that he had failed yet another loved one.

And his other Padawan, the original one, was... She was... Just sitting there, completely oblivious to her surroundings, staring with those entirely too large eyes that had lost any spark of rebellion or mischief, looking glazed over and far too empty; but at the same time her mind was engulfed in so much torment, as a hailstorm of emotions kept flowing through their bond including: anguish, sorrow, shame, guilt, dismay, distress, dread, regret, resentment, frustration, bitterness, hurt, agony, pain. So much conflicting emotions that it made him recoil physically and slam down his mental shields against her.

Anakin Skywalker was angry, infuriated with himself that no matter how much he tried he couldn't break her from her stupor. No number of attempts or intensity could drill through. The Beast was circling in its cage, raging in a wild frenzy, not being able to stand his weakness, the vulnerability and inability to do anything. He hadn't slept in what felt a lifetime, exhaustion and weariness seeping through him, settling in his bones, and he was becoming increasingly more desperate.

Anakin sighed. He felt a hundred years old. He stood up from the chair by her side and ignored how his bones seemed to creak. "I need some time to settle myself after... everything. Look after her please. I'll be back later."

"I will." Rex nodded.

With a nod, Skywalker left.

At first he ran, then he walked, then he stopped and stared out into the vastness of space. He had exhausted himself and still the Beast was not quieted down. It prowled inside it's cage. He had a tight lid on it, but the constant poking of his mental walls was making him agitated. He needed to calm down, but peace was eluding him. Sure, he could be passive and compliant and smile all he wanted, but true peace was another matter. True peace was where you didn't try to do those things and wasn't agitated with nothing.

Padme was missing. Varus was… unfortunately where he belonged. Ahsoka was all but missing. Palpatine was dead and with good riddance. Obi-Wan was… Obi was here.

He needed to see Obi-Wan. That would calm him down.

He found Obi-Wan in another room. It was a miniature lounge near the crew's quarters with a large window out into space, a couch, a mini-bar with refreshments, and a poker table. Only two soldiers were present and they seemed more content to sit at the table and read from their data pads. Probably news.

Obi leaned back on the couch watching the stars. In the distance the Onasi fleet circled a large space station being used for refueling and broadcast across the galaxy, while currently a hub for loads of transports coming and going. The refugees from Coruscant were heading out to other planets; and people were coming to see if their loved ones were on the casualty list, or just to find someone to blame. There were too many reasons for people to be coming here, what with this fleet being the one to be around Coruscant for the duration of the battle. There were so many ships jumping out of Warp here, that many have had to be moved to a nearby location to prevent collision. It was becoming the galaxy's parking space, so to speak.

Obi-Wan glanced up at his old student's approach and smirked, "You look as old as I feel, Ani." Despite the attempt at messing with him and striking up an argument, there was a hollowness to his eyes that fell to his feet.

Anakin collapsed beside him. He was exhausted. When was the last time he slept? "I'm supposed to be the younger one…" He responded. "How old does that make you?"

The Master gave a weak snort. His humor lasted barely a moment before darkness came over him again. Anakin got the impression that seeing him was perhaps not helping. Not that he didn't want to see his old mentor, but Obi was far more of a realist than optimist. He didn't need exposure to reality more than he already had this week.

"I-I," Obi-Wan started. He had a drink in his hand and he swirled it around. "I heard about… the Sith boy."

"Varus." Anakin corrected weakly.

"Yeah… him. I'm sorry Ani. I really am. I know he meant a lot to you, and, if it makes you feel any better, I did notice a lot of potential in him for good."

Anakin closed his eyes. Obi-Wan didn't much like Varus, that was obvious enough. Obi-Wan was a very 'Sith are Sith and Jedi are Jedi' type. Obi had practically worshipped the council as a Padawan himself, and most of that had gone away with experience. Obi-Wan had become very 'down to earth' over the years, but Anakin still didn't expect him to like Varus based on reputation. He was right on that, of course, but for Obi-Wan to admit that the "Sith boy" had potential for good was… nice.

"Too late now, though. The past caught up with him." Anakin let out a deep, aggravated breath. Obi-Wan let it go and they fell into comfortable silence.

Normally about now they would be already head deep in trying to mess with each other, but in hindsight of the last week or two, it felt inappropriate. There were times to joke and times to silently mourn the times. To mix them up was wrong. You could try to lighten the atmosphere, but the days would still be darkened.

Obi-Wan changed the subject: "Have you seen Padme?"

Perhaps Kenobi thought, and correctly so, that seeing Padme would help him feel better. Or perhaps he figured that since Anakin was still in a bad mood that he hadn't had the chance yet. Either way it was like addressing the elephant in the room, or in his heart. "No."

The Master's eyebrows scrunched in concerned thought. "No? You avoidi-"

"She's missing." Anakin cut him off. A horde of star fighters zoomed by on patrol.

Obi-Wan's thoughtful silence deepened and the room visibly darkened. If he looked old before, he looked like a very old man now. His shoulders were bowed, his head was down, his hair was unkempt, his mustache was untrimmed, his face was fallen, and his eyes had lost all mirth. Anakin was partially scared to wonder what he, himself, looked like.

Obi-Wan looked up fearfully into his eyes, "What happened?"

Anakin shrugged. He shoved the pain and guilt away. He knew if he let it out, that it would eat him alive. He needed to keep it contained and focus. Focus on what, he couldn't say, but he couldn't go flying off the handle in grief or rage until he was somewhere where… there wouldn't be damage. "We found lightsaber scarring on the furniture and floor, and pieces of cut-off pistols. No blood. No bodies."

Obi-Wan's eyebrows did the usual 'scrunching' when he thought. "Kidnapping or evacuation after defending herself?"

Anakin shrugged again. He couldn't allow himself to feel. Not yet. "Either a Jedi defended her and 'accidentally' (he quoted with his fingers for emphasis) cut blaster pistols of the Naboo guards, or an enemy kidnapped her."

"A Sith." Kenobi assumed. Anakin nodded. "That's good." Obi-Wan nodded in satisfaction.

…

Anakin's eyes exploded open in full blown rage and jumped up to face him down. "HOW IS THAT GOOD?!" He was about a half moment from tackling Obi-Wan, friend or not, and right this moment he was contemplating the status of the friendship. What kind of statement was 'that's good' when his Padme was kidnapped!?

Obi put up his hands in a panic. "That came out wrong."

"Damn right!"

"It's VERY bad that she was kidnapped, I'm not saying it wasn't, but the good side is that it probably means she is already being rescued."

…

"Come again?" Anakin asked heatedly. He forced his anger down for rational thought. Obi-Wan and Padme adored each other. They were as friends as friends could be in the middle of a weird triangle of we're-married-and-keeping-it-a-secret kind of way. He would never want Padme to come to harm.

Obi-Wan let out a breathe he was holding. "If she was kidnapped by the Sith, she would be taken back to Korriban. The Mandalorians took the system the day after Coruscant was invaded. Mandalorians may not like us, and we may not like them, but you and I both know what they will do about it."

Anakin allowed himself to nod numbly. He collapsed back on the couch and put his head in his hands. He didn't mean to fly off the handle. "Sorry… Master. I should have… let you explain."

"Yeah, well, I should have more tact that that, and I wasn't going to explain my thoughts until you reacted and I realized how I goofed." He returned with a faint smile.

The Mandalorians were honorable to the point of extremes. If they came across prisoners, no matter who's side it was, or hostages, they would probably make efforts to return the people. Anakin just needed to contact the Clans in order to let them know and see if she was found.

That was a load off his mind. Anakin sighed. "You're sighing a lot today." The Master observed.

Anakin chuckled. "It's a 'sighing' kind of day. Lot like your 'falling in traps' days."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow and smirked. "If I remember correctly our motto was 'trip the traps'!"

"No. I trip them, you just fall right in." Anakin smiled at him.

They chuckled. It was faint, but they could still cheer each other up. Feeling somewhat better, Anakin asked, "So… what now for us?"

"Depends on your context of 'us'."

Anakin shrugged. He hadn't thought of it in any real context. "How about you, me, and the Order, and Padme, and Ahsoka, and the Republic for that matter."

"That's a lot of 'us'."

Anakin waited for him to get down to it.

Obi-Wan Kenobi put away his glass on the side table and took a moment to put his thoughts in order. "What remains of the Jedi Master's had a meeting. Nihilus may still be out there. With no corpse to confirm otherwise, we can only assume he will come back for us. He was able to defeat us at the center of our strength with thousands against him. In addition, the public outcry of the people is that the Jedi are at fault for every single thing that happened on Coruscant. The news are having a field day. They actually said 'if the religious-nuts hadn't opened their big mouths' etc. etc. and the result is that we are now in as bad of a place as I could have imagined."

Anakin fisted his hands as the only release of anger he would allow. Palpatine tricked him! Palpatine tricked everybody! The Jedi exposed it and suddenly that made it their fault? "That's corrupt. If people are too foolish to allow justice and proper proceedings, and would rather bury their heads underground… No wonder so many Senators are corrupt."

Obi-Wan nodded, but continued, "It's worse. Many Jedi are being persecuted, beaten, and killed in public. Between the public and fear of Nihilus, a lot of changes are in store."

"I'm listening."

"First, a LOT of knights are being promoted to full masters. In the past we have held back knights from promotion even when we felt they were ready, or nearly so, because… how do I put this… we could afford to wait it out longer and allow maturity to grow more before the promotion. Now, for a lot of people, that promotion will have to be the catalyst of the same maturity. That includes you."

Under a normal day, he would be surprised. He would be excited and would run home to tell his wife all the good news and take her and Obi-Wan out to celebrate. These days it was a pale comfort to be promoted. It was more of a weight and responsibility than anything else, but it was one he would have to take well. It wasn't completely that he deserved it, but it was more about the fact that there was a reason that pushed the promotion than just simply deserving it and seeing it was an achievement. Still, not letting his dark thoughts hold him back, Anakin smiled.

Anakin Skywalker was a Jedi Master.

"Second." Obi-Wan continued. "The Masters are splitting up the remaining younglings, knights, padawans, and acolytes between us and heading out in different directions. Every master is effectively becoming a separate sect. This will allow us to spread widely and hopefully make strides in reestablishing support in the Galaxy, but also to make it as difficult for anyone to come after us as possible. I don't know where the other Masters are going, and I won't be telling them what I'm doing either."

"So… I'm getting people under me?" Anakin wondered, barely believing it. He was… He was allowed to start his own sect?! "How many are we talking?"

Obi looked at him funny. "I know what you're thinking. To be honest, I think you having your own sect isn't all that good a thing. Last thing the galaxy needs is an army of Skywalkers… jumping out of hover cars in midair and… coming out of Warp two feet away from the enemy. I don't hate flying but what you do is suicide." He cringed.

Anakin put up his hands innocently. "Whaaaat?"

"Anyway, I am getting five under me, and you're getting three. Two younglings and a fresh Knight. They already know where you are, so I'm sure you will get to know them very soon. Just do the galaxy a favor and take your sect seriously? Please? We don't need any stars blowing up."

"Hey!" He barked. "That was part of the plan."

"And that changes what I said…" He raised an eyebrow. "How?"

Anakin turned away and grumbled. "Oh, Master! What of the archives and such?"

A clone soldier entered the room. He walked around the couch. Obi-Wan continued, "They're being moved to discreet locations and split up. Later on the sects will be notified of the locations, but only once they are secure. Yes, soldier?"

The soldier shook his head. "I'm here for General Skywalker. Sir, a report from Rex." He handed him a piece of paper and Anakin opened it.

He just as quickly scrunched it in his fist so tightly his fingers drew blood.

Seeing how close to cracking his old student was getting, Obi-Wan stood up, hauled Anakin up by his shoulders and said, "Let's go check with the Clans and see if they got her, and get some sleep. It will take time to get an answer."

* * *

**(Four Months after the Fall of Coruscant)**

Obi-Wan glanced around the doorway into the bridge. Anakin was still in the pilot's seat brewing.

News from the Clans had not been good. A 'Duchess Satine' was in charge of the system and personally told him the bad news: Senator Padme was nowhere to be found.

The Sith ships had been taken by the Clans, no Padme.

The Sith Academy had been stormed and every stone was turned over after a labyrinth was found underground, no Padme.

The Sith tombs had been checked and flushed out. The Sith had made a last stand in the tombs that lasted minutes, no Padme.

The slaves, prisoners of war, and captives freed were all cross referenced and were dealt with a woman's touch to ensure they were well taken care of, and still no Padme.

The Clans took control of the most annoying red planet this side of Coruscant, and the only part that mattered to them was the phrase that was repeated over and over. Padme was absent.

Anakin couldn't find her in the Force. He knew she was out there, but it was like trying to pick out a straw in a needle stack covered in a gallon of green slime that had been set on fire while annoying little elves danced around and sang and cheered.

Obi-Wan Kenobi retreated back from the door and returned to the main quarters. The main quarters had a relaxing area with a footlocker against the wall by an escape pod and a working desk. In the middle was a small couch towards the corner, and the room branched out towards the engine room, crew quarters, private holo-room, and Anakin's brooding chamber, otherwise known as the bridge.

In the main quarters sat two younglings and one of the knights. In total they had seven split up between the two Master's.

One of the younglings, a human boy of nearly eight, looked up at Obi's approach. He was born mute but made up for it by levitating a glowing ball. The boy moved with the ball with his mind and 'wrote' in the air with it. He was strong in the Force for his age, even perhaps a prodigy, but exclusively in the manipulation of physics. Aramas 'Firefly' Welcraft wrote, "Same?"

Obi-Wan nodded.

Aramas frowned and his ball, nicknamed 'Babyfly' dimmed. "Sorry." He wrote.

"It's not your fault." Obi assured him. The timing was bad. Anakin hasn't been able to get out of his depression easily and now of all times he was being given students and responsibilities. "It's none of your faults." He assured the rest. They were all depressed. "He will get better soon."

He just wasn't sure what to do. He tried speaking to Anakin and he wasn't responding. In the past, whenever he got like this, he always had something to focus his emotions on. Anakin would vent on enemy droids or duel and meditate when he was more in control. He was dangerous in how lethal his focus was at his peak, and the only person who could bring him back had been his students and wife.

Suddenly Firefly stood up, let Babyfly drop into his open palm, and disappeared around the corner leading to the bridge. Obi didn't hold him back. The kid might have something he could say to get through to the new Master.

So far as he knew, Firefly was an orphan. He had seen war and death plenty already for his young age and was taken the recent months better than the rest. Obi-Wan didn't know any more than that. There wasn't archives left to go through right now, and the kid only wrote in the air what he was willing to say.

A moment later Aramas returned. "What did you say?" Obi wondered.

The boy shrugged and sat down. Obi looked at him curiously, but let it drop.

Barely a minute later Anakin walked out holding Babyfly in his hands and passed it to Aramas. "Thanks, Firefly. I needed that." Obi-Wan smirked at the sight of a nasty bruise on the side of his temple.

"Anytime." Aramas wrote.

Anakin asked for his students to gather. His knight, Ramidash, and another youngling about the same age as Aramas, named Slavian.

Slavian was another male human, but while Aramas was scarred from childhood and became stronger for it, Slavian was untested in life. He was suffering the most from the recent loss of the Order. He followed the laws of the Jedi closely and studied hard, and the loss of those laws hit him hard. Slavian had next to no mediclorians, to the point that no matter how much effort he made, he couldn't do even the most basic task expected of Force sensitizes. He was also a vegetarian.

Ramidash was moderately good with the Force in most areas, but excelled in self-manipulation, making him more or less the path of a warrior or some path that used manual labor. Anakin pegged him immediately as the big-brother type. He kept Aramas and Slavian close all the time and watched over them since the day they were put together. He was a bald dark-skinned male who loved to tease and mess with people.

Such as yesterday for breakfast he asked Slavian, "So, is that bacon? Ham? Ham and Bacon? Or Ham wrapped in bacon?" He waved the pan under Slavian's nose. The kid turned green and lost his appetite.

They all assembled on the couch before Anakin, and Obi-Wan motioned off his own students to let them have their privacy.

Anakin sighed and said, "I want to apologize. I have been ignoring my responsibility lately. I have been brooding and pouting. From my perspective, I have been keeping my anger back, but it is easy to forget how that looks to others. I lost a lot of things on Coruscant. I lost almost every friend I have, my students, my home, my…" Anakin hesitated. "My-"

"Wife." Obi-Wan finished smoothly.

The reaction was mixed. Anakin's eyes widened to the point of bulging. Ramidash smirked. Slavian gasped in shock. Aramas tried to hide his amusement behind his hand.

A long moment passed. Anakin cleared his throat. "Right. I-uh… I lost my wife. On top of that, I received a promotion that… in all fairness, I may not have been ready for, and responsibility I didn't ask for. And I responded by hiding. But that was wrong. I didn't ask to lose everything, I didn't ask to receive responsibility I wasn't ready for, yet, but I also never asked to be born. Life is taking responsibility for being born. I will do the same for you guys. Right now, we are heading to a planet where Obi-Wan says we can find more. When we arrive, we will gather who we can, and head somewhere where we can be in peace and… start our little sect. "

He looked each on in the eye. "I'm going to be making some changes to what you know, and what you have been taught, but the overall ideal will still be the same. We are going to strive to be the best we can be, and we're going to help people. I'll do the best I can, but I need you all to understand that I will mess up a lot before it gets better."

A varied group of "yes", "understood", and "it will be okay" was said or written in the air. They forgave him in the simple and whole way children tend to. They would probably forget he had been ignoring them as of next week.

Anakin stood up. He turned to Obi-Wan and whispered, "How long did you know?"

Obi-Wan snorted and couldn't help the massive smile. "Come on, you didn't think the Court was that stupid, did you? Someone had to keep them thinking otherwise."

"So you-" He gasped. "Why- when- you!"

"One sentence at a time there, my not-so-young ex-married-student."

"Why didn't you tell us you knew?" Anakin asked heatedly through clenched teeth. "It would have made us both feel a whole heck of a lot better not having it be such a secret!"

"Well. Simply, it wasn't my secret to tell, Ani. I've been waiting, patiently, and collecting points each time I subtlety moved the Council's eyes from you. Points I intended to use on laughing in your face and collecting free retirement dinners for the rest of my life." He laughed, but it came out weakly. His eyes fell for a moment. "Bit late now, though."

Anakin frowned. It was a bit late… Padme was gone. All these years he had the gnawing fear that his old mentor would turn him in if he knew or force a situation of them versus her.

But to know that he not only knew, but was on his side… Anakin had half a mind to get teary eyed. Instead he let out a shuddering breathe and said, "Thank you. You have no idea how that makes me feel."

Obi-Wan smiled and embraced his student for a moment. He shook his head in the direction of the crew quarters, "Go sleep, Ani. You haven't slept well in weeks. Let's let your students take some of the load off and help."

Anakin nodded. It was never too soon to work toward bonding and learning. "Alright. I am exhausted… Come here." He left the room to the bridge again and sat in the pilot chair. The kids clambered behind and Ramidash followed them from behind.

Anakin motioned to various terminals and switches. "When this light comes on, we will be nearing the destination. Flip this." A small holographic image appeared, but it made no sense. "This will show what is around us from a long range, so we can guide the Warp window to a place where we won't collide with anyone head on when we exit Warp. Ramidash, do you have any experience in Warp flight?"

The knight nodded. Anakin continued, "Okay, take control at that point. Firefly, wake me up when it's time."

"Yes." Firefly wrote. Babyfly dropped into his hand and he pocketed the ball on his belt.

Anakin patted him on the shoulder briefly before leaving the room. He found an empty bed and suddenly all of his energy left him as the last several weeks hit him all at once. He collapsed on it and his head fell back. He wasn't on the pillow even.

He was snoring before his head ever hit the bed.

He woke up when something small, metal, and round, hit him in the side of the face. He jumped wide awake. Babyfly hovered next to him before disappearing back the way it was sent.

Anakin shook his head and pushed the grogginess away. He climbed out and to the bridge.

They were no longer in Warp and resting orbit over Bandomeer.

Aramas played with Babyfly in the air over his hand, Slavian was reading, and Ramidash looked bored out of his mind.

They descended to the planet's surface and Anakin and Obi-Wan descended. The students stayed behind.

The planet was a large scale plantation, if that could be considered it's title anymore. Farms were a few aces, plantations were many acres, but an entire planet desired for farmland? It was a term Anakin was unfamiliar with.

All he knew was that the planet was run by Agri-Corps, a former social branch the Jedi Order operated.

All around them stood tall wheat and corn. In the distance was orchards of fruit-bearing trees and vineyards on the hills. In the midst of the plants were droids, but also the periodic person. The Force was strong in this place, for the Jedi sent many of its "failures" here to work and grow crops.

Anakin wasn't sure how he felt about that.

One of the biggest ideals of the Order was compassion, or supposedly. It was one thing to take up children from their parents and raise them in a place where they could be themselves and flourish without being targeted as freaks.

It was another to label them as "failures even amongst freaks" and dump them, as though they were not the Order's responsibility and amounted to nothing more than… than… fertilizer!

Anakin found himself nearly drawing blood from his palm yet again from squeezing his hand too tightly.

He didn't have anything against farmers, nor the Lights power in slowly restoring battle scarred worlds to a point of survival again. But the manner of employment is a stark contrast between applying and being tossed aside like trash, and there were hundreds of them in sight, perhaps many thousands in other farmlands on the planet.

As they walked, he looked closer at what they were doing. One of the failed-Jedi, an older man in his sixties, had his hands around a tree. His hands shimmered in weak power, but he kept it steady. The tree before him didn't move or have any real reaction, but after several seconds Anakin couldn't help thinking that the tree looked… greener, healthier.

The man may be weak for his age, but that didn't make him a failure!

"Calm yourself, Anakin. You're drawing attention to us." Obi-Wan lectured good-naturally.

Anakin breathed in and out slowly. He gave the Beast a sleeping pill and walked down the path with his fellow Master. Even with his opinion of this… crime under wraps, it didn't stop people from stopping to look at them. Droids and failed-Jedi stopped just long enough to watch them pass.

In the distance down the path lied a town that functioned as a storehouse, city, government complex, and fortress. It was quite large but had no space port and no space elevator. Another city must operate as an exportation of the planet's crops onto large transports.

"I understand why you would be aggravated." Obi-Wan continued. "I am not pleased to be here myself."

"Oh?" Anakin wondered.

"Yes, Agri-Corp has never been something I've been particularly happy about. It may be necessary, but I can't help but be biased against it."

"Biased." Anakin repeated as a question. He wondered why Obi-Wan used that particularly word. "You have someone here you know?"

"Something like that." He allowed. "I was on my way here when Qui-Gon picked me up. If it had been one more day, I would be here sticking my hand in the ground and meditating to grow grapes that wouldn't even reach a hungry child's mouth. I did some research. Most of everything grown here is bought in bulk by restaurants or used in Senator parties. Apparently Force-bred grapes pressed into wine is a special vintage for the upper class."

Anakin stopped and gaped. Obi-Wan was almost sent here? But Obi was a Master! Perhaps not as strong in the Force as himself or Yoda, and not as skilled as Windu or Fisto had been, but that didn't make him worthless!

And all this food… not even being sent off to a planet with next to none that needed it!

"This needs to stop." Anakin said.

Obi-Wan glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Whether Anakin was justified or not, passionate or not, Anakin was still unbalanced. It was like half of him was gone and the other half was trying to hold its own. But then, perhaps that's exactly what it was. His 'other half' was gone.

"It will." Obi-Wan replied. "That's why we're here. Operations like this are no longer funded and operated by the Order, so they have no ability to continue. In addition, a planet like this is amongst the highest potential targets Nihilus would target on his 'possible' return. The Force-sensitizes here may be weaker than you and I, but the number of them would still make them a target."

"You seem to already know what to do."

"Indeed. I contacted the minster and arranged a meeting. The Force-sensitizes will be split off and sent to other places where they will be safe."

"I want some." Anakin said a beat perhaps too quickly.

"Want?"

Anakin explained, "In my sect, I want to give them a place where they actually belong. Rather than be tossed aside as though we have no responsibility for them."

"Of course." Obi-Wan nodded. They passed by the front gate. Merchants filled the streets and cattle with bags on their backs. "I'll take some under me too. I have contact with a few other Master's and I'll see about sending them off to them as well. Arrangements and preparations are already made."

"I only have one condition." Anakin stepped aside for a worker as they walked.

"And what might that be?"

"That we ask them. I want to take them on, but only those that want it. I have no intention of forcing anyone. And those that want to stay shouldn't be making select wines for the nobles, but actually doing some good. I've lost track of the number of planets devastated in the war."

"Of course."

They entered the government complex and Anakin took a step back in their pace, an unspoken statement of Kenobi taking up all the talking. He was far more diplomatic anyway. Anakin knew his diplomatic skills leaned more in the aggressive direction, and this didn't call for that.

He followed his old master and listened and nodded while he thought to himself.

While the Agri-Corp may have been designed for a good purpose, the callas use of it now and the unspoken 'slavery' of the failures left a bad taste in his mouth. When had that started? Had the Jedi become so cold and callas as to see it as okay?

It was the kind of coldness he expected from Nihilus.

No, no that's wrong. Nihilus and the Jedi were nothing alike. Anakin recited the Jedi mantra to himself in an effort to restore calmness.

_There is no emotion, there is peace._

Nihilus had no emotion, or next to none.

_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge._

Nihilus was brilliant. Anakin shook the dark thought away and resumed.

_There is no passion, there is harmony._

Again, Nihilus was cold and dispassionate and calculating, with very little passion. He was calm in a sickening way. There was so little emotion in him he seemed alien.

_There is no death, there is the Force._

Anakin stopped himself in his tracks. Nihilus was a creature that existed seemingly beyond mortality, he may be purely a Force being rather than physical being. Nihilus was the very pinnacle of the Jedi code.

Anakin felt a shiver go up his spine as cold horror entered him. Nihilus was evil, and extreme in just how far to the 'passionless' side he went, but he was still everything the Jedi aimed for in their existence.

That was something he could not allow. Jedi were not designed to be cold and empty, they were still mortal and needed to be able to converse with mortals. What kind of goodwill gesture would it be if it was robotic and without true desire to do it?

But Anakin couldn't just open up the ways of emotion in his sect, that was the Sith way. The Sith was all passion without restraint and peace.

But then… the Jedi and Sith were polar opposites. One was no emotion at all and the other was pure emotion in its most raw form.

He couldn't see himself teaching younglings to go either way anymore…

Seeing as how Obi-Wan was still talking to the Agri-Corp Master (as it seemed to be led by Jedi Master's in some capacity) Anakin returned his focus to the matter at hand.

He could think on what direction he would be leading the sect in later.

After the talk, the Agri-Corp Master bowed and they left. The Master sent out messengers to all the Jedi on the planet to let them know of the situation. The place was being shut down. Without funding and with fear of danger, the place could no longer function.

"Something bothers you, Ani?" Obi-Wan wondered.

"A lot of things bother me these days, Obi-Wan."

"Yes, but something new? When you think of Padme, you get angry. When you see the people around you who you think are here against your will, when a few actually are, you get antsy and want to do something about it. Now you look like you tasted something foul."

"I'm not sure how to explain it…" He evaded. "But will I allowed access to the archives? I want to see the origin of the Jedi Code."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Of course. You looking for something?"

"I don't know." Anakin said honestly. "I just… I'm trying to figure some things out."

They left the city and returned to their ship. The next day a large crowd had appeared in the distance. Thousands of Jedi assembled for the news and split in two groups afterwards. The first group neared the two Master's and the second group reentered the city.

"What's this?" Anakin wondered.

The Agri-Corp Master approached, "These are the ones who want to leave and the other wants to stay. They understand the danger but are more at home here in a peaceful farm than elsewhere."

Anakin and Obi-Wan looked at each other in amazement. "We're going to need a bigger ship…"

* * *

**(Eleven Months after the Fall of Coruscant)**

A set of gentle knocks disturbed his mindset. Anakin blinked and looked up from the screen he was typing into. Even with hired assistance from the Naboo's queen, there was so much to do in keeping the isolated community up and running.

He had taken on nearly two hundred people in the last half year, and that didn't include families. He hired agents to find the forgotten families of his younglings, and a fair few among those found decided to come and join his growing village.

It was the first thing he did with his little sect, and already half the remaining Order was sending warnings of blasphemy.

He made sure the children were monks in a place isolated enough to not worry about being persecuted for being different, but he also failed to see how their parents weren't a good thing. It may be against what he, himself, was taught, heck he was almost dropped as a Jedi for having been with his Mother so long, but he felt it produced more stable minds if they received a strong foundation.

The families were also a big help. He recruited a bunch of them to be teachers in math, literature, reading, and so on, and a few to be accountants and other positions that needed filling. None of them could teach of the Force, but taking up the more generic jobs was helpful. The children needed education beyond just how to levitate rocks and control their power.

Which brought his mind to the Force-Sensitive's. A group of them got up and left as soon as he started making changes, and the rest were skeptical, at best.

He told them all he was rebuilding the whole thing from scratch and reviewing every single principle down to the letter to see if it was actually important or if it was just something a bunch of "cold" people came up with in an effort to be more controlling. Not that he thought the people were evil or had dark intent, but he failed to see how people without real compassion and caring and love could make half the rules they did and expect true good to come of it.

The village was growing. The monastery was more comfortable and he felt the kids were becoming less closed off than they were before everything. Many of the Jedi picked up from Agri-Corp were weak and unskilled, but they had a patience that astounded him and a casualness that made them comfortable around other's rather than see themselves as something higher. It made him proud. In addition, they were growing in strength. Already a fair number of the "drop-outs" were coming up on the same power-level as their peers.

Why banish kids at the age of twelve when their bodies were just beginning to experience a change… So many of them exploded in power in their teens and gained emotional stability as adults.

Another knock and he banished his worries away. "Come in."

Slavian entered in nervously holding a paper. Anakin smiled and left his chair. He approached the boy and asked, "Anything I can help with?"

"Yes." He fidgeted with the paper. "I don't understand this. It's so… different."

Anakin took the paper and reviewed it. It was the changed Mantra he felt was best.

The Mantra of the Jedi was cold and destroyed everything that connected communities, producing people that aimed to be like an abomination as Nihilus. While the Mantra of the Sith was all about blind power and emotion, so Anakin wrote one that he felt was… balanced.

Emotion needed control. But being human required emotion.

It read:

Emotion, yet peace.

Ignorance, yet knowledge.

Passion, yet serenity.

Chaos, yet harmony.

Death, yet the Force.

Ironically it was also the ORIGINAL Jedi mantra according to the archives Anakin was able to access, and he was more comfortable basing the sect on it.

It provided the balance he felt the children needed as a focus in their lives.

"What don't you understand?" Anakin wondered.

"It looks so much like the old one we recite, but it's wording makes no sense…" Slavian frowned apologetically.

"No need to feel sorry." Anakin patted him on the shoulder. "I know it may seem scary, but the change is meant for good. Here, let's go through it. The first line."

"Emotion, yet peace."

"Slavian, we are people, right?" The kid nodded. "People feel things. We cannot take that away, otherwise we lose everything that lets us understand and have empathy. All true goodness requires empathy, where you feel for others and understand them. The line means that we have emotion, yet we must strive to have peace with, or, despite it. Sometimes it makes us angry, sad, upset. These are natural, but shouldn't make us do things we shouldn't do."

"Yeah…" He frowned. Anakin saw he understood, but was having trouble adjusting.

The Master moved to the next line: "Ignorance, yet knowledge. Slavian, the thing about knowledge is that the more of it you gain, the more you realize how ignorant you are."

"What?"

Anakin groaned in thought. "How to explain this… It's like… You work your way through a maze. You figure out life's answers in various sciences and work it out. Yet, at every impasse, at every answered question, there are a dozen more. Every turn leads to three more turns. You hate those mazes right?" Slavian nodded. "That's what knowledge is like. You just realize how dumb we are. It is good to have knowledge, but that isn't everything you should base your life on, because knowing everything is simply impossible. I may be more knowledgeable in the Force than your math and history teachers, but I assure you I am not as bright in history or accounting as them. In fact, I think I might have hired your math teacher for an accountant…" Anakin thought about it a moment and moved on, "It was a month, but no matter. Ignorance exists, Slavian. We cannot stop it. Yet it is foolish to not strive to learn what we need to learn. You have to learn how to read and do math to live, but you don't need to know how to surf to live. I don't know how to sweep as well as the janitor, I don't know how to cook as well as the chefs, and I don't have to."

Anakin, seeing the understanding in his eyes, continued, "Passion, yet serenity. Much like the first line, we cannot distance ourselves from our emotions. Passion is much deeper than emotion. It is emotion at the very core of your being. It involves rage, hatred, joy, love. Rage is bad, and hatred is wrong, and love can lead to jealousy, but while there is a bad side, it also leads to great good. Love is amongst the purest of emotions and heals an empty heart, and it is good to hate evil, so long as you do not let it control you and lead you to doing wrong in return. Passion is necessary, but must be balanced by a controlled and disciplined mind to keep from losing yourself to it."

"But it's so hard." He complained.

"It is, but that's just a part of growing up, Slavian. You will find your emotions and passions easier to balance out as an adult… always remember to put purpose and thought before your own feelings, but don't just deafen yourself. You can't know what to think or believe without feeling what is true and false. just don't use me as an example." He smirked.

"Ain't that the truth." A young female voice said from the door.

Anakin looked up to see "Ahsoka?!"

"Hey." She smiled at the door. "Don't stop on my account."

Anakin closed his jaw and realized he had been gaping. "Wha?"

"You were talking to the kid."

"Oh." He returned his attention to Slavian, who just sat there watching patiently and with barely contained amusement at his dumb moment. Anakin narrowed his eyes at him. "I don't want to hear it."

The kid just continued smiling.

"Chaos, yet harmony." Anakin recited. "Chaos means disorder. Chaos is bad in its own right if there are no rules, but at the same time so is order. People are naturally disorderly. They make messes. They make mistakes. Sometimes they are bad people. Just because bad people exist doesn't mean the rights of everyone should disappear. Too much order destroys just as much as disorder, because it is impossible to achieve and you will only end up destroying everything you try to control."

A part of him disagreed with his own ideal. He disliked chaos and disorder, but he also saw what the Jedi were becoming and what Nihilus had over Starkiller. Nihilus controlled every aspect of his life to the point that he was nothing but what Nihilus wanted, and the Jedi were slowly becoming that way. It was no less evident than in the 'failures' he took on.

He wondered briefly how the others were doing. Obi-Wan had taken on the rest and was out spreading them to other sects. Anakin only took on a hundred or two.

"The problem with order." Anakin continued, "Is that too much of it also takes away intent. True good comes from the heart and desire to do so. If people only do good because they are left as robots, then it is just an empty illusion."

Taking a moment to let it settle in him, Anakin moved to the last line. "Death, yet the Force." To be honest, he doubted this line the most because of Nihilus, but he also saw how Nihilus was a contradiction. Nihilus was the Force, but he also was not dead. He was an abomination, wherever he was. "Slavian, no matter how much you may come to learn or love or do, the reality is that all things die. You cannot stop it. Families, lovers, friends, children, die. One day, so will you. But that doesn't mean you should disregard them. Mourn when it's time, but take comfort in knowing that they exist in the Force."

Anakin returned the paper to Slavian. "Does that make sense now?"

"Yeah…" He fidgeted. "It's just… different."

Anakin patted him on the head. "You'll get it. Run along now, I'm sure you have better things to do then watch me run my mouth all day."

Slavian bowed and departed, leaving Ahsoka standing in the door smiling like an idiot.

Anakin couldn't help smiling as well. He missed her. "So Ah- OOF!" She practically tackled him in a quick hug.

"It's so good to see you, master!" She squealed. Ahsoka pulled back and winced. "I'm… sorry I left like that. I needed to get some air."

"And did you?" Anakin wondered.

She nodded, smiling again.

He glanced her over discretely. She did look better. A year ago she had been a vegetable on the verge of a mental breakdown, but now she looked like she had done some growing up. She was stable and strong minded. She was a woman.

How old was she again? Wasn't she supposed to have a few years before she gets to this point. Oh, how fast they grow!

"I can see that you have." He said proudly. "You look much better than last I saw you."

Ahsoka walked around and looked at his desk. "And you seem to have more responsibility than last I saw you." She returned. "How's that going for you?" She sat in his chair and spun it with a giggle.

He groaned. "It's a pain… But I'm doing the best I can. I've never realized how many hypocritical traits I have until I tried to teach other's this much. You realize at least a third of them are like me?" He shook his head. "My mother's curses are coming back to bite me."

"I thought those curses accounted for me!" She joked. She looked at the papers on his desk. "Promotions?"

"Yeah, a lot of the people I'm watching over came from Agri-Corp." He pushed back the anger he felt for the past social project. "Failures and the like, as far as the Order was concerned. I don't expect them to be lifting mountains or becoming an army, but many of them have learned patience in their time as farmers that could rival Yoda, and they are far from dumb. They are a good bunch, and a growing number of them are turning out to just be 'late-bloomers' and have power-levels that rival a normal Jedi."

She looked over the list. "There are a lot of them."

"Happens when I'm supervising about two hundred between the age of ten and fifty."

"That old? Wow." She said thoughtlessly. "Wait, I'm on the list."

Anakin rubbed the back of his neck nervously and looked away. "Uh… Yeah. I didn't know if you were coming back, but with what I saw from you helping with Varus, I've been starting to feel that if you return, you would be ready for advancement."

Ahsoka visibly deflated in his chair, and Anakin lost the nervous smile. "You don't like it?"

"I… I don't know." She said truthfully. "I'm happy you think I've grown enough… but… the appeal of being a Jedi Knight doesn't sit with me that much anymore." She sighed. "I even wonder about being a Jedi at times…"

"Because of Varus?" He asked knowingly. She nodded.

"The Jedi are different from what I grew up believing."

"I agree." Ahsoka gasped quietly and looked up at him. Anakin explained, "The Jedi have grown to be heading down the path to becoming something cold and heartless, or at the very least trying to be, and I don't think they even realized it. They try so hard to fit ideologies and become 'perfect' and the complete opposite of the Sith, that the Jedi were sending themselves to the opposite extreme. Well, I believe I witnessed the end of that path in Nihilus. I know this sounds like a cheap advertisement, but I am trying to bring us back to our origins and find a kind of… balance."

Ahsoka smiled weakly. "Sounds nice." She stood up and let Anakin take his chair back.

Anakin turned the chair to his desk and silence came over them a moment. He gulped and asked the heart of the matter, "Are you here to stay, Snips?" He heard himself almost pleading. He missed her, a lot. He missed Varus. He missed Padme. Obi-Wan frequently visited to help him get things started, and they exchanged some knowledge and discussed matters.

She smiled and shrugged. "Sure, why not. I don't like the idea of being a Knight, but I'm sure there is something I can do to help."

Anakin sighed in relief, a great weight left his shoulders. "I won't promote you officially if you don't feel comfortable, but how about unofficially? No title or anything. How does that sound, Padawan?"

"Sounds nice, Master." She bowed, but couldn't help yawning. "I'm going to find a place to stay for the night. Been traveling for hours."

"Have a good night, Snips." He said warmly.

She opened the door to leave, but stayed just long enough to say, "I miss him… You know?" Before she turned the corner.

Knowing who she was referring to Anakin responded, "So do I, Snips. So do I."

Feeling more at peace than he had in a long while, he returned to the task before him. He scratched Ahsoka off the list and reviewed the rest again.

Hours later, when his eyes started to betray him to sleep and the sun was rising, he decided it best to stop. He opened the side drawer in his desk.

The Mask of Nihilus looked up at him.

Odd, he couldn't recall taking the mask or leaving it there. Must have slipped his mind.

Nihilus may be alive, but he also might not. That shockwave on Coruscant in the wake of their Warp in the midst of the gravity well would have dispersed both matter and energy alike. Nothing could survive that, not even a creature existing on the border of life and death.

Now the mask merely acted as a reminder of everything Anakin was building, and everything he was building against.

_"-if I find my apprentice taken from me, again…" Nihilus stopped and growled loudly, "I will return the favor!"_

Anakin snorted defiantly. "I'd like to see you try." He dropped the paperwork on top the mask and slammed the drawer shut.


	5. Prologue - Falon Grey

**Note: And here we have Kota/Falon's prologue. I plan for Falon to have a much larger role in PotRav. **

* * *

**Prologue - Falon Grey and Rahm Kota**

* * *

**(Two Months after the Fall of Coruscant)**

*BAM* *BAM* *BAM*

_"He's so smart for his age!"_

*BAM* *Bam*

_"That one there is special."_

*Bam* *Bam* *Bam* *Bam* *Bam* *Bam*

_"Poor kid, I feel sorry for him. That scar is huge!"_

Falon punched the bag furiously and focused his mind on a single target with singular purpose, namely, punching the bag. Sweat poured off his hair and down his little chest, but he ignored it. His fingers hurt and logically he deduced he broke the skin of his fist a while back, but he was beyond noticing.

All he allowed himself to do was punch and keep on punching. Anything to make the voices and whispers go away. Anything to keep himself from thinking.

People all his life have treated him differently. They raised him up on pedestals and whispered behind his back and b praised him at every turn since the day he was taken to the Order by Kota. He didn't remember where from, he was just two years old at the time, but even as far back as then he was considered 'special'. His peers looked on him with envy or jealousy, and his teachers looked on him with pride or confusion, depending on the person and situation.

Back when his peers were doing first grade material, he was bored out of his skull. He found himself sleeping all through classes and answering every quiz and test with 'too easy' along with perfect answers. It took him minutes to do it all and he went to sleep after.

He loved sleeping, it slowed down his thoughts, or he would watch cars go by and fall into daydreams just to make his thoughts leave him alone.

*BAM* *BAM* *BAM*

Kota took further interest in him and made him a Padawan before his time, although not yet with the privileges of a Padawan, but merely so he could have singular focus on him. Then Falon wasn't bored. Kota gave Falon a gift, probably the best gift he had ever received.

He taught Falon how to train his body, but most of all, how to calm his thinking. How to tune it out without making himself a zombie. Sleeping and daydreams were only temporary. Training was temporary as well, but it lasted much longer after he was exhausted due to the mental and physical strain, and also gave additional benefits. Like stamina, strength, and actual sleep without the need for drugs.

Kota also exposed him to strategy, battlefield tactics, board games, and the like, and Falon absorbed it all like a sponge. It would have been too easy as well, but his Master was experienced in that area. Perhaps that is what Kota intended, for his experience to rub off on him.

Back then, people considered his intelligence a gift. It was something that made him 'special'. Well, that same 'specialty' was boring and he didn't much care for it. He never cared for the eyes or whispers, but he ignored it easily enough.

Now, it was his greatest failing. Gifts came with responsibility. Power came with a need to be used properly. Well, he had failed on both counts, and now there was the singular and sole conclusion that he was a blind failure.

What was the point of being intelligent if it came down to nothing?

Stupid, Falon! Varus was the only survivor of the Miraluka at the hands of an obsessed Sith! Varus knew the Sith Lord! Of course an obsessed Sith Lord would come for him! If he had come to the conclusion long ago, he might have been able to save lives, but no. He was fooled. He was duped. He ACTUALLY ALLOWED potential friendship to cloud his judgment!

Varus was the first one to take an interest in him without it being about his so-called 'super intelligence' or to whisper around him. True, he irked the living snot out of him for confusing his name without remorse, but Falon actually had found himself ENJOYING being around the guy!

*BAM* *BAM* *BAM*

Stupid, Falon!

*BAM* *BAM* *BAM*

Stupid, Falon!

*BAM* *BAM* *BAM*

Stupid!

"FALON!" An older man roared behind him. It was Master Kota.

Falon stopped punching the bag. He was gasping for air, his legs shook and felt like noodles, and his arms weighed a ton and something in his glove was very wet and hurting a lot. He had sweat dripping off every inch of his body. The skin around his scar was throbbing and stretching. And his eyes were gone.

But it wasn't enough. His mind wasn't getting tired! It wasn't slowing down! His mind continued to race, making deductions of the area around him based on his hearing or going back into his memory to pull out facts that only taunted him with how he should have figured things out sooner! He saw Eria, a little crush he had up to two months ago, and how pointless it was. He saw his training and how he should have pushed himself further. He saw the battle of Coruscant, and how all he could do was stand back and do nothing while he had already figured out a lot of what the enemy was doing! He could do nothing!

Because he was a child! It wasn't his fault that his body couldn't grow fast enough!

He pulled his arm back to return to punching when he heard stomping close in on him, large rough hands grab his arms, and the glove on his hands get retracted off.

Cold air met his hands and he hissed in pain. The air felt like it was setting his hands on fire.

"Falon…" Kota said in clear shock. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like." Falon hissed. He pulled his arm back.

"It looks like your trying to destroy yourself."

Falon laughed darkly. "Then why stop it? It's what you taught me to do. When my thoughts get to be too much, punch the bag. Well, I'm doing that. Now. LEAVE. ME. ALONE!"

Falon knew he was yelling at his superior, but really, he didn't care right now. A tense moment passed and suddenly he found himself being hauled off the ground kicking and screaming. "I told you to not get out of bed." His Master stated. "So back you go."

"No!" Not the room! Not back into the empty abyss left alone with his thoughts! "No! No!"

* * *

Kota was getting too old for this.

He looked in the window on his sleeping pupil and wondered to himself what to do. It had taken strong drugs to finally get the kid to sleep. For two months Falon had been silent and impenetrable, then he suddenly walked off, pushed himself to his breaking point and beyond, and yelled and spoke darkly. A part of him yelled that Falon was falling to the Dark Side inside, and not letting anyone in to help, but Kota knew that wasn't so. Falon was a kid. He was going to have his tantrums. Falon also had a tendency to hold his emotions in till they exploded because he believed himself to have a disciplined mind capable of handling anything and having the weight of the galaxy on his head.

Perhaps it made it best to vent it out, but Kota still felt he was at fault, partially. He had never been a father. He had never bothered with dating or anything of the sort. Being raised on a battlefield his entire life and then being a Jedi kept him on a very particular and anti-social path. It wasn't that Kota wasn't trying, but this was different. This needed a women's touch.

Yeah, a weird thought from a Jedi, but Kota was a realist. He put all Jedi in one of two categories. Idealistic and realistic. The idealistic tend to make it the furthest, but also be the ones to lash out and fall away, while the realistic ones tended to be seen as crazy and blasphemous and be pushed to the side. Kota was a realist. It was a simple fact: He was a battle-hardened veteran with all the tender touchiness of a blitz tank strapped to the side of a Republic Dreadnaught.

The problem was his 'nice-girl' address book was a bit on the empty, moth-filled side. There were a few girls he got reasonably close to before he was taken by the Jedi, but he was a kid the same age as Falon. Not exactly a committed relationship or ones he could reach for. The odds of them being alive in the midst of the civil war was low anyway.

The nurse-droid left Falon's room and Kota gave it his attention. The droid said, "Falon's injuries complicated with overexertion. It will take another week before his facial wounds heal once more. In addition, he has obtained new injuries. His arm muscles are torn from overuse and his knuckle-bones have cut their way out of the tendon, muscle, and skin around it."

Galon blinked. Falon's knuckle bones had fractured out of his hand?! He had seen blood all over the kid's hands, but not that. This was the kind of injury that could cripple a person. "Will he be able to use his hands again?"

"Yes. He is lucky. If he had used his hands the way he was even once more, he might have sustained permanent injury. The odds of complete recovery are high, as the bones will need the skin, tendon, and muscle healed back over it, but this merely requires time, patience, and care. He must not use his arms or hands for even a single action for a month. With your permission, his entire upper body will be placed in a cast to prevent movement."

Kota looked back on Falon. The breathing machine plugged into his nose and mouth kept him going while the drugs had him put under. Falon had always had difficulty sleeping and needed sleeping pills to manage it. Sometimes working himself to exhaustion did it before bed, sometimes not. The kid's mind just never shut down easily. It took some strong stuff to accomplish it this time.

As soon as Falon wakes up he would be doing everything he can to move, to punch the bags, or find something to do. Falon might have just watched things go by before, but he no longer had that option. That sense was robbed from him. Falon was trapped inside his mind, and that was the most feared place the kid knew. He was genuinely scared of himself.

Being in a giant cast and stuck immobile in a room like this, with only his own mind for company when Kota was not there, Falon would become claustrophobic within his own head.

"Do it." Kota ordered. "But keep him under until the cast can be taken off. There is little we can do to hold him down without it."

"Understood." The nurse-droid nodded and left.

* * *

(**Three Months after the Fall of Coruscant)**

Falon would be coming out of his little coma soon. Rahm Kota was pleased. The boy was finally making the recovery he needed.

Now if only he could find a way to give the boy his hope back.

Falon would have a difficult time without his eyes. They weren't just scared and torn, they were surgically removed. Whatever exposure to the Sith Lord had done, it was INFESTING his eyes like a plague. They had to be removed entirely to keep the infestation from spreading, but the damage was still done. A large portion of his upper face had black veins like some kind of emo-tattoo make-up thing.

For a kid with that, hope would be hard to come by, but possible. If he could see the world in another way, and focus his skill and training on it, it would improve him vastly. But how?

Kota contemplated these things as he walked the streets of his old homeworld. They had arrived not two days ago, and after these thirty years the place had yet to change. Civil War still was the primary topic, but undertones had developed in the sides. The planet was divided into twelve 'guilds', and being a factory world, with as much exporting as they did, they could afford twelve nations, were it not that they argued over who was the king.

Now the rumors was that the Hutt Cartel expansion was heading this way from one direction, while the Mandalorian Clans were expanding this way from the other direction.

The guilds would have to decide what to do about it. Unite and stand firm against both sides? Find an ally to help them? Stand neutral against the inevitable conflict? Or choose a side?

Kota owed his loyalty to the Brazerien Guild, but he was unsure whether or not he would have a hand to play. His voice would have a strong impact-

He saw in his mind's eyes a knife going into his back.

Having seen the vision through the Force a moment before it happened, he reacted. He spun around, grabbed the person by the wrist, twisted, broke his wrist, and threw him down the ground. With all of his weight on the attacker, and both of the surprised man's hands under his control, he had no chance for escape.

The man squirmed desperately, but was apprehended by the authorities of the Brazerien Guild. The assassin had the markings of a rival guild.

Kota returned to the hospital, he sat by the bed where his student laid, and he continued to contemplate.

His student would wake soon. If only there was a way he could see… again…

Kota blinked.

Of course!

He meditated into deep thought in order to figure out how to make his idea work. With most Jedi, it would be a stretch, but Falon would figure it out. Of that, he had little doubt.

The doctors over the day did a muscular treatment and tube-feeding that would bring him back to best condition within a short while, and he was brought out of the medically induced coma that night.

He was brought out of the coma and his head moved as if to look around, but he saw nothing.

"Wha? Where am I?" Falon wondered. He felt around, but found only bed cloth.

"You're in a hospital on my homeworld. What's the last thing you remember?"

Falon reached out, and with Kota's help, sat up. "Ugh… I was… Right, I was exercising to clear my mind. Then you came and stopped me." Kota nodded. So his memory was clear. Good. Falon's head bowed in shame, "I am sorry for my harsh words, Master. It was uncomely."

"You are frustrated." Kota acknowledged.

"Yes, Master." He explained, "People whisper where they think I cannot hear. It's always praise or pity… They think I can save the galaxy or that I'm some lost puppy. And… I can't do anything. I was powerless before, but now I can't even see. I am…" He hesitated before whispering, "I am nothing." He chuckled sadly. "I can't even cry. The tear ducts are destroyed. We will need tear drops to keep my empty eye-holes from chaffing."

"I'll make sure to add it to the shopping list." Kota responded. "But, young one, you are listening to people too much. Yes, you are smart. Yes, you have suffered a crippling blow. But you are not the center of the universe, little Falon."

"But-"

"Were there not thousands of Jedi at the temple, many of whom were stronger than you, and a few just as smart?"

"Yes, but-"

"Were they not adults with greater experience ontop of all that?"

"Well-"

"And did not Sidius fool them? Did not Nihilus reduce them all to nothing?"

Falon fell into silence. Kota saw his hands twitch slightly, a given sign that he was thinking furiously. Kota was happy to note the boy's hands were fully recovered now. Falon's hands calmed after a moment. "You are right, Master…"

Kota nodded, although why, he could no longer say. Not like Falon could see it. He smiled reassuringly, and made sure to convey it in his voice, "You are a child, my young apprentice. You may be someone great when you are older, but right now you are growing. You are a seed, a worm. Your time is not yet come, but when you do." Kota put his hand on his student's arm. "You will be a great tree and massive moth. Or butterfly if you prefer."

Falon scoffed. "How Master? When I cannot see? I do not have extremely intense senses to make up for it."

Kota poked him on the nose. Falon flinched, and the Master couldn't help smirking. "But you do have the Force."

Falon tilted his head to the side curiously.

"Come, I think you would like a chance to get a head start." Kota suggested.

He barely had the words out before Falon was struggling to get out of the bed and clamber over. He was wearing a hospital gown, so Kota had to help Falon into proper clothing. After he used the toilet and bathed, of course. He had been stuck in bed with tubes for a month.

With some minor difficulty they make it out, grab a taxi, and head for a clear place. Kota takes him to the roof of a building and throws him a staff. The staff clatters to the ground at Falon's feet.

Falon touches around the ground for it, and in finding it, picks it up. "We will be fighting?" He guesses.

"Yes." Kota says. "But this will be specialized training. I will be offense, you will be defense only. Move too far and you fall a great height. What I want you to focus on is predicting me and defending yourself. I won't do anything special, just block me."

"But how can I if I can't-!" *WHACK*

Falon hisses in pain as Kota whacks him in the knee. "Ow." Falon grumbles. He snaps his staff up and takes up a defensive posture.

*WHACK* Kota smacks him on the back of the head. *WHACK* Followed by the arm. *WHACK* And ending in the same knee as before.

Falon struggles to defend himself, but he responds to the pain too late. "Don't respond, Falon. Predict."

Falon growls in concentration, but receives a whack to the wrist. "Falon, calm yourself. Focus on the Force. Let it guide you and flow through you. Open yourself to it."

Falon manages to block the next blow, but Kota suspects it was because of his voice telling Falon where he was, rather than Falon truly predicting it. "I know that!" Falon barked.

"Then do it." Kota responded coolly. He backed off and returned again.

Repeatedly he whacked Falon. The continued blows aimed for the same locations would turn into bruises, and Falon became increasingly aggravated. Falon wasn't usually the aggravated type. It only showed how dark his composure had become of late.

Still, it was working. Falon complained and grumbled, but after a while he became silent and focused as they continued their dance. Then, after an hour, when he was tired from little exercise lately, he blocked a silent blow with ease, then the next, then the next, and the next. He blocked them as if he knew they were coming. Kota pushed him aggressively toward the edge, and Falon, sensing the edge was near, twisted to the side rather than allow himself to fall. (Not that Kota would have let him get hurt.)

Feeling satisfied, Kota called to an end for today. Falon collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. "What happened, Falon? Were you able to see it?"

Falon tilted his head to the side. "I… I felt it before it happened. I heard it before it happened. I didn't see, but I didn't have to. I felt your attack, knew where it came from, and acted on the prediction." He gasped for deep breathes. "Is… this what you meant by restoring my sight?"

"Yes." Kota said.

Falon smirked, but it fell. "This… revelation only applies to dangerous situations though. It is the only time our training kicks in and warns us. I'm still useless."

"Then we must continue and do it again, and again, and again, until you can do it without being in danger. You need to be able to sense it at will if you are going to regain yourself."

* * *

**(1 Year, 4 months since the Fall of Coruscant.)**

Falon was a year older, ten now, nearly eleven. He sat at the table of a diner in front of Kota. His golden hair had grown longer and came over his eyes and down to his shoulders. Kota's white hair had also grown whiter to the point it looked bleached. He was getting far too old.

Kota ordered a local newspaper and placed it down. "Are you ready to begin? Time reads 1:07."

Falon breathed in and out slowly, gaining focus, and said. "Begin, page one."

Kota snapped open the newspaper. "Page one. Military officials gave varying, and at times confusing, explanations Monday for what, if anything, would trigger airstrikes against Franac Guild targets…" He continued on.

Falon breathed in and out slowly. "Begin. Page 4. Hutts ambassador."

"Four pages in one go? Very well." Kota snapped open the newspaper. "Page four… Here it is. 'Interviews were left without comment and questions were left unanswered as to why the Hutt Cartel would have transport ships entering and leaving the Franac Guild on a daily basis. A witness says he saw a Hutt ambassador enter the premises, but the Franac Guild denies all claims of collaboration with the Cartel and…"

Falon breathed in and out slowly. "Begin. Page Thirty-Two."

Kota snapped open the newspaper. "Thirty-Two… 'Duchess Satine is scheduled to arrive before Brazerien Guild in continuation of peace talks in hopes of establishing a Guildpact between the twelve reigning guilds, on Saturday. While critics speculate that establishing a Guildpact between all twelve guilds will be an impossible task, there is speculation that at least seven of the guilds will acknowledge the efforts of the Clans in reaching out to the government for…"

Falon breathed in and out slowly, sweat collected on his brow and he wiped it with his sleeve. "Done."

Kota glanced down at the unopened newspaper and up at the time. "1:11. How many visions did that take?"

"Uh… fifty. It became harder near the end to keep them going."

Kota nodded and smiled. "Four pages in fifty visions. I'm guessing… three minutes each?"

Falon shrugged. "About that. You will be happy to know your predictions are right. The United Systems Alliance is reaching out for allies, the Republic is splitting, the Agri-Corp are being shut down piece by piece by Obi-Wan while people are in an uproar because they have to make their own food now, and the Clans are meeting with the Brazerien Guild openly for talks while the Cartel are doing the same with Franac discretely, and they aren't doing that good of a job at it."

Kota sighed. Falon continued, "And the Republic is in an uproar about the Clones having officially left, yet another thing instigating the division. Some are calling themselves 'New Republic' to restore the Republic to the old principles, while others are the 'Old Republic' and want to keep the 'way of things' as they are."

"You mean corruption as the way of things." Kota grumbled. Falon shrugged.

"Regardless, most of the Republic is returning to the old fashioned way of making their own armies and uniting resources to create security. Gungans of Naboo and Aldeeran being the first to provide military support to the Grand Army. And returning to the Clone issue, most of the Clans have voiced contentment on the 'perfection' issue, except one clan that is threatening rebellion if the Clones are not exiled. With this one clan being the last voice of argument, the Clones are being accepted fully as the 'Voda' Clan. Voda meaning 'brother'."

Kota nodded in thought, but after a moment couldn't help smirking. "And I didn't even have to open the newspaper."

Falon raised an eyebrow. "You did. Fifty times."

Kota picked it up. "But it's still in pristine condition! I can return it for a refund."

Falon 'looked' at him blankly before they burst out in laughter together.


	6. Prologue - Padme Amidala and Visas Marr

**Note: With this Prologue being so short, I felt it would be good to release it early.**

**It will be the final Prologue as far as I am concerned, the story comes up next! :D**

**So before we get to it, I want to hear what you want from the story, plot ideas, and other things. I don't plan to use every idea I have, or given to me, but I do want as large a pool of plots to go through and figure out what works with. Right now I have dozens of ideas, but more is always nice. So what do you want in the story?**

**Also, I am releasing a new fiction that I will be working on slowly! :D**

**It's a Merlin fic called "_I, Pendragon_". It covers the life of Uther Pendragon. SO GO CHECK IT OUT! :D**

**Also, if anyone is interested in being a Beta Reader, my skype is "ancient_doom" Or PM me what your skype is.**

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**Prologue - Padme Amidala and Visas Marr**

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**(One Year after the Fall of Coruscant)**

Padme Amidala considered herself a rational, patient women. It took great patience to not fight against the Revanchist when she was brought to their space station. It took a lot of understanding to put up with the refusals to let her go or for her to get word out.

But after a year of all but being officially labeled as a prisoner, she was having enough.

She was treated well. She was allowed to walk freely and do some things of her own accord, but she always had the silent Miraluka women dogging her, and her efforts to get word out was shut down at every turn.

Her latest attempt to break out resulted in her being brought before the leader of the Revanchist, Bastilla Shan herself.

The room was massive. Padme was lead through massive doors to a room that could only be compared to a Globe room. She stood on a ramp while the room itself was shaped in a hollow globe-shape, with an actual map in the center, around which the ramp snaked itself. Directly at the end on her side was a computer terminal and standing in front of it was a women.

Padme held herself with dignity and walked with Visas Marr leading her along. Bastilla was a lot younger than she had expected, barely older than herself. The woman also held herself and presented herself much like a Jedi. She seemed cooperative and presentable.

Padme wasn't fooled.

"For someone who should appreciate the rescue, one would almost think you thought us the enemy with how often I receive… colorful reports." Bastilla chuckled. "A few have made me giggle. You definitely picked up a few things from the 'Chosen One' in your marriage."

"I do appreciated being taken away from Coruscant, but you said we would return to Anakin when I was originally brought here. It's been a year." Padme swept her eyes across the room in shown disdain. "This doesn't strike me as grassy plains or filled with gentle rivers, and there is a striking lack of husbands."

"Don't I know it…" Bastilla grumbled quietly, then louder, "Unfortunately, it is necessary to keep you bound for the time being."

"So I'm a prisoner." Padme concluded with a challenge.

"Only if you insist on seeing it that way."

"You don't give me much room to think otherwise."

Bastilla and her stared each other down. Bastilla was blank and Padme kept herself blank as well, but glared at her. After a long moment, Bastilla's face flickered slightly.

The woman sighed. "Senator."

"Former Senator." Padme snapped. "I retired."

"Mrs. Padme." Bastilla corrected. She wasn't aware the Senator retired. It might be a sudden decision on her part, or one she decided silently in her time here. "According to my agents, you read the information we provided Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Padme flinched slightly, but held her gaze. Agents, in other words spies, were watching them a year ago. She felt insulted, but didn't let it show. Bastilla continued, "You know Darth Nihilus used Chancellor Palpatine as a host. Practically everyone does, but did you make the connection?"

"The mask." Padme allowed. An easy enough connection with what she remembered. It made those files make more sense in hindsight.

Bastilla nodded, but frowned. "My agents have found the mask in the possession of Anakin Skywalker." Padme's eyes widened in shock. "And… they felt the taint of Nihilus on him."

Padme shook her head in denial. It was… it was ridicules. It wasn't true. How could it be!? "How dare you…" Padme seethed, all attempt at good-will tossed aside. She wasn't going to 'play' the Senator, she was a wife and a mother now! "You think you can hold me hostage with the accusation that Ani is the latest host to the Sith Lord! My view of you has been moderate as my patience has been, but now, one mother to another… You. Sicken. Me."

Bastilla simply blinked. She pulled up a visual file and handed the device to Padme. "Read it." Padme didn't, just glared at her. Bastilla nudged her with it, and she took it and started reading. Bastilla commentated, "It's a personal report by Anakin himself, you can see how it's tagged by Republic Military and kept on their archives. It's the real thing. He said, himself, that he was trapped inside Nihilus in the Temple, exposed to him in his greatest form, communed with him, and then was let go as 'entertainment'." Padme's anger turned to terror as she read. Her hands shook.

Visas Marr said, "No one is ever exposed to Nihilus and lives, not without being corrupted by him… You're husband wasn't spared just because Nihilus felt jolly. He was spared with purpose."

Terror fell over Padme like cold water, and all she could do was stare at the report. In the corner of the screen it showed Anakin giving an oral version of the report like a video-blog. She recognized his twitches and tells. It wasn't someone pretending to be Ani. It was him.

Padme's arms fell limp. Bastilla said gently, "And one mother to another… I know what it's like to have the person you love missing, and the reality of never seeing him again."

Silence fell over them for a long moment before Bastilla nodded in Visas' direction. Visas took Padme away by her arm and lead her away, gently.

As she walked away, Padme couldn't help smirking darkly. Something she had come to learn was that Miraluka couldn't see color or light, only three-dimensional objects, and Bastilla had been in front of her the whole time.

Padme had, hidden in plain sight, sent a message to Carth Onasi. She had tried Obi-Wan or Ani or others, but they had changed their address in the last year and Onasi was, for some reason, listed. She didn't have much time, so she didn't think anything of it.

"You will not see me again for a while." Visas commented.

"Oh?" Padme whispered dryly. She didn't much like the Miraluka, but Visas still had gone out of her way to be pleasant and helpful, at times. The kids adored her.

Visas nodded. "I will be away in the service of my Mistress."

Padme scoffed. "So you're going to be away helping Bastilla with another kidnapping?" She pretended to gasp. "What will I tell the kids?!"

Visas shook her head. "Bastilla Shan is not the Mistress for the Miraluka. We owe the Revanchist a great debt, but they do not control us. And you're the only one I've ever kidnapped, my lady. I'm sure you understand the need for it now."

Padme turned slightly to look at her out of the corner of the eye, feeling slightly ashamed for her presumptuousness. "Perhaps… What are you going off to do? I'm curious. You haven't left my side in a year. My own handmaiden is feeling useless."

"Someone very… important to my people disappeared. He is presumed dead, but we feel differently. We will find him. No matter how long it takes." She said with a bit more conviction than may have been necessary.

"Is he close to you?" Padme wondered.

Visas tilted her head to the side. "Yes. And no."

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_**Give me your hungry, your weak, your reviews! You're thoughts and random desires!**_


	7. Ep01 - Five Years Later Part 1 of 4

**Note: AND WE ARE BACK TO VARUS! If anyone knows where the origins of this chapter came from, you get points.**

**Randoomy figured it out. :D**

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**Episode 1 - Five Years Later Part 1/?**

* * *

Five years…

Five long years, and I still can't say who I am. Of course, I have my memory back. The parts Nihilus suppressed and the ones the Jedi took, but in all of that I cannot say who I am. I was born to the name Galen Marek the son of a Miraluka Keeper, raised as Starkiller as a Sith Murderer, and turned into Varus Wynn as a mouthy-Jedi for about a year, maybe less. I would say about a year, but that's just me being picky. Oh, and let's not forget there are two of us going along for a ride. Yep, still got Revan's memories in here. So if I wanted to I could claim to be a Keeper-dude, Starkiller, Varus Wynn, or the second coming of Revan.

Five years ago, I realized I had been mentally raped by the Jedi, turned into a semi-Jedi, and used as an unknowing slave.

Ten years… no, nineteen years ago, I had been kidnapped by the Sith-pedophile-ghost who slaughtered my family and raised as a Sith apprentice, while being very much a slave.

And now I'm a literal slave. No pretending about that. Any chance for freedom? Not really. Any chance for ascending the ranks? Oh please, they enjoy it too much! In the mind of the Hutts there are two categories of people. Them and the rest of us. It's a very nonracist impartial system. All people, male or female, young or old, Human or non-human fit in the same category. Even the Republic couldn't manage such a complete impartiality.

I could break out of here, but uh… let's not get into that. I gave up that chance long ago.

"Uncy Varus," My small partner says. Her thick Ghorfa accent made even worse by the comm device in our space suits. "It's time for lunch."

I stop my work and look up at her. "Is it about that time?" I ask. She nods.

Odd. That was fast. I turn and look out of the suit's helmet toward the carrier-ship and note the flying scavengers returning home. We work for the Hutts as a bunch of scavengers on a ship graveyard. I don't recognize the symbols representing the fight's representative nations, and I don't care. So long as they don't come after us, and they aren't Jedi. The carrier is where we sleep, eat, work, and be bombarded with an utter lack of hope. Literally, there are billboards telling us to 'suck it up and work'. Another point for the Hutts. They aren't holding back on the 'you are a maggot' message. They love telling you where you stand in the food chain. Right now I'm somewhere between maggot and the stuff I eat, just below dirt.

"Alright." I acknowledge. I reach out to her and the kid hops over to where I'm standing. Our magnetic boots on the surface of a ship and limited propulsion on our backs is the only thing keeping us from drifting. I place down a small flare to designate where we were working, so we might return to the same spot, and I pin down the cutting tool.

The cutting tool is more or less a small version of those fancy ship-cutters I saw on a Republic ship once. The laser is razor thin, long, and designed to cut anything and everything for a good fifty feet. Like a huge lightsaber.

With the cutting tool firmly in place, I put my foot down on the portion of a massive ship we just finished cutting through, kick it off slowly, and watch as a 2-ton slice of a ship flies toward the carrier at an break-neck one miler per hour. With the tags we put on it, the carrier should send out people to grab it and haul it in. The metal would be used for some economical purpose, and I wouldn't see a single credit.

Squirt and I must have gone through five tons today. I'm a heavy lifter! Look at these muscles!

I pull on the rope tied to our ride home and Squirt unlatches the hook. I climb on. She hops in behind me on the hover bike and we fly toward the carrier. The ship graveyard is a mess to fly through, but we make it through without losing too much paint on the sides.

I fly in line behind the rest of the slaves and wait as the doorman checks our work quota.

Rule number one: You don't work, you don't eat.

Rule number two: You don't do enough, you don't eat.

Rule number three: The above two can be changed at any time without notice or complaint based on the Wardens approval of you. I should know, I am the key orchestrator of a lot of the complains and I'm not on Warden's best friend list. Might have something to do with short-circuiting half the ship. Really, people should realize that electric wires and me do not mix.

The line moves up. I'm number twenty-something in line, and its taking forever. The doorman has to check each person, see if the amount of work they have done fits the quota, and check their Slave ID to be sure it matches. Oh look, another person passed.

"Uncy Varus. I'm hurting." Squirt says weakly.

"Yeah, we'll get in and eat, Squirt." I smile for her. She collapses on my back and her breathing is heavy. Crap, not good, she has some issue with eating. She has to eat, all the time, or she passes out; and it's a painful process for her.

"Shit! Hang on, kid." I pull up the hover bike and jam myself down between 2nd and 3rd in line. They curse at me in some language, and as far as I'm concerned, they can just shut up. A little lightning would do the trick.

The next one in line passes and I move in to the guard post. A barrier flips up in front of me, not that I planned to break through anyway, and the guard glares at me. "Hey Tyceus." I greet with my most charming smile.

More glaring. "Listen, Tyceus, it's us. You've seen us every day, twice."

Glare. Bastard isn't even bothering to look at his data pad. "Tyceus, listen, she is allergic to a lack of food!" I point back at the girl collapsed on my back, and falling over. I have to physically grab her to keep her on the bike. "She needs to eat."

"Back in line." He says with a heavy point past my head.

"I am in line. Now are you going to pull your eyes down and check us so she can get non-allergic, or what?"

"Get back in line."

"Tyceus!" I hiss. "I already do twice the work load to cover for her. At least let her through and I'll go back as far as you want! I'll even scrub your toilet! Force knows I already know how to do that well enough!"

He sighs, grabs the front of my bike, and shoves me back hard enough to send us flying through the dispersing crowd all the way to the back. He then raises up the shield to allow the rest of the line through, without checking any of them, all while looking at me, just to prove a point. Then he throws some alien gesture that is completely rude. Ass…

A couple of others around me laugh, "Your stuck back here with us losers!" They're the ones the Warden dislikes the most. I am just barely staying out of it for Squirt's sake. They have to wait thirty minutes every time before they are allowed to eat, whether there is a line or not, before they can even get into the line. The gatekeeper, which is another slave, also has the right to choose anyone to be pushed back here at any time on a day to day basis because they need to overcompensate their anger issues.

I would love that job.

"Varus…" Squirt says weakly and she falls over. I grab her shoulder and haul her up.

"Lean on me, kid. I'll get us in." I encourage her. I look around and think of how to get in. I'm back here with the loser-bunch, the line is gone just to prove a damn point, and there is no longer line. But there is the main factory door. No, wait. Tried that once. The metal is melted down and compacted. That's not an entrance, it's a death trap. There is the side door designed for ship-to-ship walking however.

I kick the hover bike into overdrive and fly up toward it. One of the 'losers' calls up, "Watch out that you don't get yourself killed!"

"Cowards!" I turn in my seat to respond, "Nobody's docked with us in forever! The odds of someone docking is like a million to one!"

"Varus!" Squirt squeals.

I turn back and guess what? There's a ship. Because really, why not? When has my luck ever been positive? Yet another way the Force loves me.

"And that would be one…" I mutter.

I turn sharply to get out of the way, but we still crash. The hover bike takes the impact damage and Squirt and I go flying across the top of the ship. I push off with my hands just enough to keep from actually crashing into it, and wind up hopping along the surface. I barely manage to grab onto the rope keeping Squirt by me before she is sent flying along into the middle of nowhere.

With some brief propulsion bursts, I manage to slow us down to the point that I can plant my feet down on this new ship and walk along. "You okay?" I ask, but she doesn't respond. Squirt doesn't have the energy anymore to talk, and I pull her to me and carry her along. I walk on the surface of the new ship until we get to a point we can climb down. Thankfully, the newcomers have multiple doors. Problem is how am I supposed to get in? The carrier's entrance is blocked, and I doubt the newcomers have doorbells on the outside.

But the newcomers do have a bridge.

An idea hits me. It's stupid, but it's all I got. I walk over and do something I would never consider doing if it weren't an emergency. Window washing. I pull a cloth out and wipe the outside. Inside, a blind person does a movement that reminds me of eye rolling, and gestures for us to come inside. Trying to window wash to get the attention of a blind man probably wasn't my brightest idea, but it worked!

We amble along down to where the door was, and a little ramp extends. I drop down with Squirt, and the blind person from before has his hand out with some change. "Here's your tip… Please don't do that again. That was dangerous." How the heck is this person able to see me?

"How right you are." I smile and take his generous donation. The sound of Squirt groaning in pain reminds me what we are doing.

Without another moment to waste, I run down the hall, across the bridge joining the carrier to the newcomers, and enter the carrier. I can only afford to take the time to get Squirt and me out of these suits, because we aren't allowed to eat while wearing them, and I run as fast as my legs can carry me to the cafeteria with Squirt on my back.

* * *

The blind captain stuck the change back in his pocket and waved off the weird space-pair. He tapped the comm system. "Mrs. Marr, we're locked down."

"Thanks, Barnabus, I'm coming." Was her response.

"Do you really think you will find him here?"

"This is where the trail leads. I can sense him, he is close. Very close."

The captain shrugged. He was a Force-User as well, but not near as strong as she was.

* * *

I slip into line at the Cafeteria and put Squirt down onto her own feet. She sees the sight of food and pushes herself to stand even though her energy level is dropping rapidly. I can see her going incredibly pale on me right before my eyes. We both grab trays and scoot along down the aisle. I grab whatever looks edible among the slop and green things. One of them is a bunch of worms that are still alive and wriggling. They always give me the creeps. But Squirt loves them.

I motion to it and the chef, a lovable little bug-thing with all the mental capacity of a goldfish and the emotions of a bear-trap, slips some on both our plates. Mine lands directly on top the biscuit. Great, not eating that now. I mean look at this crap, the green worms are crawling over the side of my tray!

"Got ketchup?" I ask. I slip as much of the gunk as I can to the kid.

The bug-chef looks insulted. "Ketchup? You don't need ketchup!" He swings his large spoon at me and I duck out of the way. Wow. Really? You would think me asking that every. Single. Day wouldn't earn a ticked off reaction from him! "Move along!" He shoves the spoon in my face threateningly.

I stick my tongue out and follow Squirt out to a table with a fellow Ghorfa, Koj'Ineh, who is also her father. Squirt sits down next to Koj'Ineh, and I sit across from them. I take my tray and dump the rest of the worms on her plate, and she squeals in delight. Extra serving for her. "Have fun, kid."

With just a biscuit and piece of sausage slavered in worm juice left, I'll suffice. Squirt slips the worms into the massive maw that is a Ghorfa mouth, and after three of them, she starts to get some of her green color back. Koj looks at me expectantly.

"She was having a problem. Needed to eat." I answer the unspoken question.

Koj nods knowingly.

I pick up one of the worms curiously and look it over. I try sniffing it and… that really doesn't help. I groan. "You know, I'm not asking that much. I'd just like them to actually kill my food before serving it."

"hmm." Koj mutters. He eats the worms too. What's with these Ghorfa and the worms?

I pick up a little ball mixed in with the worms and the ball actually screams in pain under my fingers. That's disturbing. I continue complaining, "I mean, I do an honest day's work, double, in fact, on top of the extra load Skippy loves to give me. I want already dead food." I drop it onto her plate again. Skippy is the Warden. I love calling her that on account of how it's a little dog name, and she loves to bark. She's small too. It fits!

"And what is up with Tycheus and bug-face back there?" I continue talking to the silent statue. "Tycheus has the heart of a rock, and bug-face hasn't learned how to take a joke in… what's it been? Two years? Year 'n a half?"

"Something like that." Koj relents. Finally he says something!

"And all because I'm Skippy's favorite toy!" Squirt giggles at my pretend anger. I take a bite out of the biscuit and pause to keep from throwing up. By the Force, Koj would be a better cook than this insect!

"If you would stop messing with her every chance you have, your future would be brighter." He lectures me good heartedly.

I scoff. "Let me tell you something about this future of yours."

"Hm?"

"Every day, I wake up, look out the window, it's still the present." I wave the worms in front of his face. "Same grimy, stinking, worm-infested, boring present. I'm stuck here, you're stuck here, Squirt's stuck here. And the people haven't learned to deal with her issues, nor my mouth, in a year 'n a half. And the work around here hasn't diminished in the slightest. It'll take us five hundred years to go through the graveyard. We're all stuck in the same point in time every morning. It's like the present repeats itself. Not to mention, I'm here for LIFE! I don't think this future thing exists."

Squirt giggles for some stupid reason, and finishes her tray. She looks a lot better now. She has the energy and perkiness in her eyes again. That's good. Her lack-of-food-allergy thing nearly killed her a year ago. I've been on the watch for that ever since.

I eat my biscuit, and despite the effort, I am an inch close to throwing up. The worm juice is getting to me. "I can't take this anymore…" I stand up.

"Not much we can do about it." Koj argues.

"Not our situation, the food. I'm going to go throw up." I hand the plate off to the kid, and she shoves her face with what I had left. She's a growing girl, she's going to need it.

I head out to a pass where water is leaking out of a pipe. The rust-infested carrier feels like home, considering it's a drastic improvement from where I had been living prior, and yet still has that rusty, broken feel to it. I dip my face into the water and relax as the coldness keeps my nausea back, but it just isn't made to last. A pair of large hands grab me from behind and pull me back.

"Varus." The alien growls. He is about ten feet tall with arms as thick as logs. His eagerness to brawl is about as massive as his stature, earning him a bad spot in Skippy's book. I feel a presence sneak up on me from behind and grin as I recognize it.

"Good morning, Flo!" I greet sarcastically. "How's it flo-ting?" He hates it when I mock his name like that.

He ignores my joke. "You pulled a nasty stunt back there!"

Oh yeah, this is going to be another fight. But between Cupcake and Flo, I don't stand a chance.

Cupcake punches his oversized fist into his palm in front of my face. "Your attitude needs an adjustment."

"Wow, that is a massive word! How many dictionaries did you eat before you found out what that word meant?" Not my brightest moment. Because it earns me a fist to the face. I narrowly dodge the initial blow, but a ton of tentacles that make up Flo's arms coil around my waist and haul my up in the air. A second or two later I'm being bear hugged, held up in the air to use as a sandbag, and the sound of bones cracking isn't all that much more pleasant than how it feels.

The hair on the back of my neck rises, and a ball of energy explodes in the room. Cupcake and Flo both fly to opposite sides of the corridor and are held in place by an invisible force. I straighten up and pop my nose back in place. A woman stands just before us, someone I don't recognize. She has a red hood on covering the top half of her face. Judging from her extended hand, and the air-explosion, I would say she is a Force-User.

Jedi… My fist clenches and I have to hold myself back to keep from throttling her. I don't have the power to anyway.

"If you want to hunt people, remember: we travel in packs." The newcomer threatens.

"What are you doing?" I growl.

"It's commonly known as helping." She responds sarcastically.

"Yeah?" I scoff. "What for?"

She raises her hands defensively, "Sometimes, people just help each other out. You have no need to be angry."

Ohhh, right." I punch Flo in the side, and he hisses in pain. I think I hit a liver. He has three of them, he can spare to lose one. "I guess you don't want anything in return?" I head over to the water and dab the freezing cold water on my face. I hiss in pain as I touch bruises. There is no icepacks, so this will have to suffice.

"All right, maybe I do." She relents.

"What a shock…"

"I want you to come, give up everything you have, and join in a mission where you risk pain, torture, and possibly… gruesome death."

I laugh. She's funny. She rescues me from two idiots and expects me to give up my life for her? "And I would do that… because?"

"Because it's worth it. You may not have had a good look around lately, but there aren't many of us left." No crap. The Jedi were wiped out the night Nihilus arose. "Pretty soon we will disappear and everything we stand for will be left to the void. Kids will be reading about us in textbooks and hosting our traditions in museums. The fact is, I came here for you, Varus. We need you. The galaxy is in chaos and without you, our kind will perish."

Jedi in perish… I don't blame the lesser ones for the decisions of the higher, since very few probably were involved in my mental rape, but at the same time the possibility of the Jedi being extinct doesn't exactly rip my heart to shreds. "I'll do it."

She hesitates. "You will?"

"Yeah, your speech was thrilling." I start tearing up and sniff. "My whole life has been a mess with constant ups and downs, and it took your amazing speech to bring me see it. It was so moving and-and, it changed me. Its… beautiful! I think we need to hug!" I put my arms out and wait to see if she actually jumps into my arms.

Instead she raises an eyebrow above the cloth around her eyes. "Your faking it…" No kidding… What part tipped her off? She sighs in clear pity. "They really hurt you…"

She extends her hand to grab my shoulder gently, but I knock it aside angrily. "Get this! I don't even know you! I don't like you! I don't care for your 'kind'. I want nothing to do with your mission! And I don't need your help with these oversize morons! So leave me alone!" I walk away, and check behind me to ensure she isn't following me. She isn't. Good!

Yes, I am angry with the Jedi. Its… not that I BLAME all the Jedi for the decision their higher ups made, but I dislike the whole religion as a whole about as much as the Sith. When it is morally okay in a religion to rape a person's mind and enslave them, I'm not particularly obliged to be all giddy around them. I'll contains myself, I'll shake their hand, but I refuse to pretend that I am anything but on bad terms with Jedi as a whole.

The only ones I really care about are Tree-Hugger, Mother Hen, Falcon, and Psycho-Bunny, in that order. Although those aren't their real names.

she shrugs. "Ok." She flicks her wrist, and both Flo and Cupcake are released of the Force hold. She smirks and says, "I think he called you morons."

Oh… crap. Probably shouldn't have ticked her off. I smile as pleasantly as I can and put my hands up. "Listen, uh, guys-" Their eyes go red with anger, they come at me roaring, and I run screaming. Any witnesses who claim I was screaming like a girl while running full-throttle have got the wrong guy and I want names!

After ages of running and evasion, I manage to get away from the two of them and return to the Cafeteria. I find Squirt napping in her dad's lap. She put in a lot today, that's no surprise. I land heavily across from him and look around with all the stealth of a… a… thing with no stealth! None of Flo's and Cupcake's friends are around. Good! "I need to lay low for a while… If either of those two morons catch me, I don't know if I have it in me to sprint like that again for a while."

"You don't know the half of it." The red-hood lady sits next to us as though I hadn't just thrown her off.

"Hey!" I bark. "Get this, lady, go away!"

She smirks at Koj. "Wonderful job with the kid, he's a charmer."

"I expected you to take him off my hands a lot sooner." Koj returns.

Wait… hold up! "You know her?!" I ask.

"As do you. Visas Marr." She introduces herself.

Visas Marr… Marr… Oh, wait. Girl from my Galen visions that was mentioned a few times. "You know her?!" I repeat myself to Koj.

"Her contacts found us a few weeks ago and I been waiting for her to arrive." Koj explains.

She says. "My apologies, the Mandalorians made it difficult to get in undetected, even with the Hutts predominantly in control of this area under scavenging contracts. You will be happy to know the deal extends to you too, Sand… Person." She eyes him closely, now that she realizes consciously what he is. Clearly she has never seen a Ghorfa without the million layers of clothing. Yet another thing we have against the Hutts…

"Ghorfa." I correct abruptly. "Now what is going on?"

"The Miraluka bought you both. I'm here to pick you up."

I scoff. Bought me… Technically, not that difficult to imagine. I come cheap, very cheap. So they aren't actually Jedi. That's comforting. "Did they tell you what I did to my last three masters?" I ask. "I'm so cheap because all three of them are dead. Think you can hold me?" She probably could, easily, but I'm not about to say that. Why do I get the feeling Skippy paid them to get rid of me? "And what you mean two?" I continue. I point to Squirt and Koj. "We aren't moving without the kid."

"The deal can extend to her easily, but you will be given a salary once you return with me to our space."

Keeping my adopted brother and niece along, and getting a salary. It's good considering I'm a convicted criminal taken in slavery. "Not good enough."

She smiles warmly, like a viper. "You don't have a choice. Let's just say you managed to earn yourself some very big enemies. It's either you come with us, or you die to them."

"Why didn't you say that earlier?"

"I was trying to be nice and make it voluntary."

Koj touches my arm, grabbing my attention, and says, "The Good Spirit is in accordance with what has transpired." Yeah, sorry Koj, I am not much in agreement with a spirit right now. "And we have little choice in the matter. We are slaves after all."

I scoff. Why does he always have to be reasonable about things? This is what? The fifth master now? No, seventh. The first two couldn't stand me, the later three died, and Skippy apparently can't stand me either and shoved me off to the first person who could find me. The only reason I actually tried to make a good impression with Skippy was to stick around and help Koj and his kid. If it weren't for me, Squirt would be dead.

A door opens behind Koj, and a couple of droids enter in. Nothing new, but their model design looks odd. I don't see them very often. "Dominion." Visas whispers. She leans down slightly to keep her face hidden further from them under the hood.

"What's the Dominion doing here?" I wonder. "Another inspection check?"

She shakes her head. "No. They want you, Varus. The same way I want you, only dead."

I scoff. "What makes you think they want me dead?"

One of them sees me, aims at me down its sights, and fires. It misses and chaos erupts. People scream, people jump up and run around, and the three of us dive under the table. Squirt wakes up and freaks out loudly before Koj covers her mouth. She has no idea what's going on, and I can't stand the fear in her forked eyes. It scares me, and not in a way I'm used to be scared. They definitely want me dead. Another five of the droids enter the room, and a glance down the hall they are coming from shows a whole battalion. What did I do to the Dominion?! Visas whips out a lightsaber and cuts the table stand. We tilt it on its side and huddle behind it.

"I'm convinced!" I admit.

"Do something." She suggests.

"Like what?"

"Push. Lightning. Something."

"Yeah, now's not a good time to mention this, but uh… about that..."

Her face scrunches up, but with her eyes covered in a cloth I can't say what emotion that is. I'm getting aggravation or disappointment. We have a hyperventilating kid, a Ghorfa without any weapons, a former-Sith with no power, and a blind woman. We are royally doomed; so I share her disappointment. Why didn't she bring more men?

"We need to get to the kitchen." She suggests in an order-like-way. Yeah? How? And how is she looking anyway? Her attention is on the droids. What, can she see out of both sides of her head? Oh that's right... She's a Miraluka like me. Only the blind kind.

People die around us from stray fire. One of them falls to the ground directly in front of Squirt. Her eyes go freakishly huge at the sight of a man covered in blood and half his face missing, and here comes the hyperventilation. She's stunned silent. Visas throws to Koj a pistol -why not me!- and gestures for me to get moving. I grab the kid and dash as low as I can as fast as possible to behind the cafeteria bar. It's not far, but a number of blaster bolts still narrowly miss me. I pin myself against the bar and check over Squirt. A bolt edged her clothes and she passed out. Good. Her panicking was making me about to panic. I hold her close to my chest and adjust my grip. We might need some food later if she wakes up. Panic-attacks sometimes trigger her lack-of-food-allergy.

"Why do they want me dead?" I ask as Marr and Koj get behind the counter with us. Koj looms around the corner and lets off another shot, and with a 'clink' sound a moment later, I'd say we're down one droid with a million to go.

"Everyone wants you dead." She says flatly.

Wow... I... I actually have nothing to say to that. No wait, yes I do! Why didn't they just take a try at me when I was still a Sith?! I at least would have given them a reason! But no no no... no one has to notice me when I'm evil but as soon as I become a nobody stuck in the food chain between maggot and dirt, suddenly everyone wants a piece of the Varus!


	8. Ep01 - Five Years Later Part 2 of 4

**Note: Not really much to say here. I made this chapter very fast paced to help get things moving. This episode is a lot of "MOVE MOVE MOVE STOP AND THINK LATER!" because crap is going down.**

**Also, I have put up another chapter in a side story of mine for this series called "In the Path of Oneshots". It's a collection of snippets outside the story. The first oneshot is random nonsense, the second one explores a bit of the relationship between Nihilus and Starkiller, that I just put out. So give it a shot if you want a bit more background story. I'll try to let ya know as I release more, or ya can just follow it and find out.**

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**If anyone else wants to be a beta reader or help me with the story, feel free to PM me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, so no sue!**

**Remember to Review. I want to know what you think and how the chapter is to you. Is it good? Is it bad? Anything I need to know? Any ideas or things you want to see in the future?**

* * *

**Episode 1 - Five Years Later Part 2/?**

* * *

Koj'Ineh raises himself over the counter and shoots a droid or two. "Go." He says.

I grab Squirt around the waist and leap over the bar, through the side window, and crash onto a stove. Squirt and I fall to the ground. Laser bolts fly through the window after us a second too late. I hold Squirt tight to my chest and examine the room. The bug-chef is huddling in a corner rambling about how its all my fault and something about me getting all the ketchup I want in hell. To the right is a door leading out of the kitchen as a backdoor, and a second door leading to the cafeteria, but the second one has no cover leading out, and the bug-chef just had to move a mini-fridge to block the door.

Visas jumps in after us. She Force Lifts an oven and throws it through the window. I don't see where it goes, but the resulting crash better take a few droids with it. "Come on, Koj!" I yell.

Another flurry of blaster bolts comes through the window, and in their wake Koj rolls in, his torn Ghorfa robes spinning in the air. I clamber out of the way, Squirt still held to my chest, as Koj falls to the ground beside me. He climbs up and puts his back to the stove.

"There are more of them coming." He says while checking his pistol magazine. The meter is nearly depleted, but slowly recharging.

"Any idea WHY they want me dead?" I ask pointedly toward Visas.

"I'll explain later, but for now, we need to get out of here. Our fleet is nearby, but the Cartel, Clans, and Revanchist are not far behind." She scrambles across the ground in front of me and heads for the door. "It's clear, let's move."

Koj and I exchange a glance. Koj asks, "What did you do?"

"Hey! I didn't do anything!" I glare at him. "I have no idea why everyone is after me!"

"Everything will be explained later, but for now, move!" Visas barks.

I growl, but scramble across the ground on three limbs while holding Squirt with the fourth. Visas kicks the door open and runs down the hall. Koj takes up our back and I follow along with Squirt. People all around us run in a panic and we maneuver through halls. I know this place. I know where that ship is, provided the ship I head-butted an hour ago was her's, so I know we are going in a merry-go-round in all kinds of directions.

"What are we doing?" I ask at last. "Don't you know where your own ship is?"

"I do." She replies. She suddenly stops and turns right. "This way! Hurry!"

Koj and I exchange around glance out of the corner of ours eyes, but follow along anyway. Just as we disappear, I see more Dominion droids back where we almost went.

Ah, thats right. Miraluka can see the world around them, like through walls and things. She must be weaving a path through the enemy droids.

Laser fire explodes in the distance as we run and people scream. Slaves are mowed down in the distance and the guards can barely keep a defense up. The ship is being taken.

Three people run down the hall toward us being chased by a pair of droids, and Koj and Visas take care of them instantly. The three people we just saved stop in front of me.

Ah, great... it's them. "Boss!" They yell at once and suddenly decide they are going to join us.

"You know them?" Visas asks.

"No." "Yes." Koj and I answer simultaneously. I glare at him. Don't help!

She stops and turns to 'look' at us. "You two want to talk it over? Work out one lie between you?"

I grumble and readjust Squirt in my arms. "I... know them. They think I'm their gang-boss."

"Their what?" She had not expected that answer.

"Long story short, I kept them safe in prison and every slaver that sold me off got rid of them too because they think we're a package."

"Let's not forget, Cupcake!" Igor, the tall idiot pipes in.

I groan and Visas stares at him in disbelief, "Uh-huh... You mean the big guy who was beating the snot out of you earlier?"

I wave her off. "Long story, just leave him. Is your ship far?"

"No. I can see it from here." Being able to see through walls must be awesome! "Should I have to buy them too?" She pointed to the three Stooges huddling around me like I'm leading them. I take a step away, they're in my personal space.

"You already ha-" I kick Koj in the shins.

Visas' eyebrow rises. "I did?"

I groan again... I am having such a great day... Why can't I just go sleep or get back to work? Why do people want me dead or have to bother rescueing me? It's all such a hassle. And why can't I get rid of the Three Stooge?

"The Boss and us come as a package deal!" The second one says. Rizzo is short and chubby. What he lacks in muscle and intelligence he makes up for in being a geek and nerd. Not sure how you can be a stupid nerd as nerds tend to be intilectual, but he managed. "The contract includes us. It's the only way our previous master's have ever managed to sell us."

Visas just 'stares' at us through the hood. "Uh-huh..."

"Technically five of us if you include Cupca-" I roughly grab Igor by the mouth with my only free hand, leaving Squirt hanging roughly in my other.

"Visas. Please." I practically beg.

"We'll take em." She nods. I groan loudly. Why!? WHHYY! The Three Stooges squeal in delight and huddle around me. "But you all need to be quiet. If you get left behind, I'm not coming back for you. If you get shot, it's your problem. Got it?"

"'iamon', cap'n!" Rizzo says with a salute and straightened back that only shows his belly and complete lack of actual military experience.

"I thought the reference was 'crystal'?" Koj wonders.

"It doesn't matter! We need to get out of here, and I don't plan to be taking along Larry, Curly, and Moe!" I yell.

"Technically, it's my choice." Visas corrects me. She shrugs. "And I don't mind. Old friends are valuable."

"Valuable?!" I blurt out. I'm sorry, but these three and the word 'valuable' do not exist in the same sentence.

"Yeah, she thinks we're valuable!" The three of them cheer. Rizzo adds, "It's 'k boss, we know you 'ove us."

Visas can barely contain a smile at my misery. She's enjoying this way too much.

I'm going to kill them... I don't know how many times I've said that to myself, but I'm going to kill them.

"Fine!" I lose it. "FINE! Come along, but only if you SHUT. UP."

The three of them finally shut up. Visas smirks, "How many time's do I have to remind you that it's not up to you."

I return, "Then you better leave me behind, lady, because I've never been very good at being told what to do. Why do you think you're the seventh master I've been sold to in four years?"

She scoffs. "Very well. The plan is to free you once we rendevue with the fleet, anyway. Can you at least follow my orders until then?"

Hmmm. "Sure."

She nods. "Good, because the ship is surrounded by Dominion droids and we need a distraction."

Everyone turns to look at me, and she smiles evily like the little **** she is. I can feel my right eye twitching.

I'm going to kill every last one of them...

"Fine." I snarl. I hand off Squirt to the Three Stooges and motion for Koj to come. "You want a distraction, you will get one."

Koj follows me to the hanger bay door and we peer inside. There is a tube leading out to a ship and a whole lot of droids on this side of the tube firing in. They are trying to force their way onto the Miraluka ship, but the Miraluka are holding the line. For a bunch of Force-User's, I don't see any with lightsabers. All of them are using blasters and sniper rifles. Must be because of the long reach of the tube in question. The droid's attention is already on attacking the ship, but there are easily a hundred of them.

Considering I don't have access to the Force right now, and no lightsaber, dealing with them might be a stretch. Koj, as it turns out, does have Force sensetivity, as is his people's version of a Far Seer/Jedi is, but he puts no training or effort into Force techniques, and he has no lightsaber either. Just a pistol.

Visas may be able to handle them, but this many would be a stretch for her to get through uninjured. What we need is... something not effected by laser bolts. Something big and loud and... (I smirk.) Someone who hates my guts. I glance around and see what I'm looking for. "Come on, I got an idea." I scoot around the corner and hug the wall and use the crates as cover. Koj is on my heels as we move. We head around the corner, make it to the stairs, and climb up. I keep my eyes on the droids, but their attention is on the little invasion of theirs. They aren't looking around to notice a pair of nobodies going up flights of stairs behind them.

We make it to the second floor without being seen, but the path to the destination runs too closely to a pair of droids. I signal for Koj to take the one on the left, and he nods. We sneak up and together I pull the wires out of the back of one's head, while Koj wrenches the other one's head clean off. Koj grabs the body of it before it falls to prevent noise, and lets it down quietly.

We scramble across the ramp of the second floor to the Hanger Control. Three more droids are in there, and this time they notice us. A bit too late really, Koj already has them in his sights and he is an expert marksman. Unfortunately the noise attracts some unwanted attention, and a few of the droids below head up. We've been seen. I shut the door.

Koj hunkers down behind cover from where he can watch the door. The droids make their way to the second floor and will be trying to get in soon. "What is next?" He asks.

"Next." I start pressing buttons. "We make some noise and embarrass ourselves." And... there. we. go! I'm in. "Just give me a sec. Accessing the audio feed for the entire ship."

"Why would you do that?" He wonders.

I chuckle. "I need for 'him' to hear this. And I don't know where 'he' is." I pull out a piece of paper in my pocket I had been holding onto for a rainy day. Well, by the bright light of red rain drops pelting our windows, I'd say it is storming out. I clear my throat and pull up the microphone. "This is Varus Wynn making a global broadcast from... I-C-A Hanger on floor seven. Hello, to all of you wonderful people out there!" I begin cheerfully.

"What are you doing?" Koj asks in disbelief.

I wave him off. "And a special message to you, most of all, Skippy! It seems you have an admirer out there. But hey! Don't take my word for it, take his." I snap the paper and begin reading outloud. I put special emphasis in in my voice to sound mockish and animated.

Koj's eyes slowly expand in shocked wonder.

* * *

"Is that a... poem?" Visas Marr wonders. She looks at Varus' friends. "A cheap romantic poem?"

The three of them clamp their lips shut to contain their laughter and tears begin to appear in their eyes. One of them nods.

"Why would he be reading a poem?" She asks. The loudspeaker continues on with the poem as Varus continues to make an ass of himself. "He's supposed to be making a distraction! Not giving everyone literature lessons!"

"Wait for it..." One of them manages to say. The three of them look at each other and burst out in crying laughter as the poem becomes incredibly cheesy. Even Visas feels herself cringing. The poem is awful and grating. She almost wished he would stop just to save her from having to hear it.

* * *

As I continue reading, and fluctuating my voice at the wrong times on purpose, there is a noticeable shaking. It starts in the floor and rises to the walls. Distant sounds of crashing appears, but I continue reading anyway. A moment later, there are distant explosions and the shaking is only becoming worse.

Koj notices the tremors, looks confused, then looks at me with wide eyes. "You didn't..."

I just smirk and read the last line. "You're dearest wall-flower, George."

No sooner am I done then the wall explodes beneath us and a massive creature storms into the room. It's read, it's a huge twenty-feet tall, it's ugly, it's plated in a greasy-laser-resistant-exo-skeleton, it's angry, it has two sets of tree-like arms ending in razor sharp claws, it has a massive tail with a kind of blade at the end, it has horns,

and right now it wants to kill me.

"WHERE ARE YOU!?" Cupcake roars.

Visas wanted a distraction, well she got one.

"Thankyouallandgoodnight!" I say hurriedly and drop to the floor.

The laser fire stops hitting the shielded windows around us, and instead it sounds like Cupcake was nice enough to be loud and distracting for me. He roars angrily and I see droids flying from where Koj and I are on the floor hiding. I almost feel sorry for the droids because when Cupcake is this mad, he is like a tornado-wrecking-ball, or a shark tornado filled with dynamite.

"WHERE ARE YOU, VARUS!" Another roar, and a crate goes flying and hits a distant wall with enough impact to imbed itself in the metal.

Yeah, like I'm going out there. "You have gone a step too far this time, Varus." Koj says. We both cringe as another explosion shakes the floor. "He is probably going to kill you this time."

I roll my eyes. "Please, what makes you think he is going to catch us all the way up here. He's too stupid to look in the control center. He's probably assuming I'm hiding in a crate or-" Another shake, but the impact feels entirely too close and it lurches me forward into my face. I raise myself back up and... I hear angry, heavy, deep breathing right outside the window above me.

"Don't tell me. I left the microphone on didn't I?"

"Yep." Koj says with a hint of boredom.

"Red, massive, wide-open eyes filled with enough hatred to give the sith a run for their money? A bulk large enough to take up the entire view? Spikes and claws coming out of every corner of his exo-skeleton?" I ask. Can't have the hate without the spikes.

"mhmm."

...

I dare the universe, "Bring it on."

* * *

Visas had heard from reputation that Varus Wynn, former apprentice to Darth Nihilus, and possibly-former Padawan to Anakin Skywalker, had a knack for chaos, being loud and disruptive, and being difficult to notice. Well, as if a testament to that reputation, he managed to completely tick off a twenty-foot red dinosaur-rhino with enough muscle to break a small ship in half, read off a very bad love poem to the entire slaver-ship, leave the hanger bay in flames and sparking ruins, and finally was running out the door of the control center screaming like a girl while being chased by said beast.

And this was his idea of a simple distraction.

"How does he do it..." She could only gape in wonder. She was going to regret this, wasn't she?

"Oh please." One of Varus' friends said. "This is a normal day for us."

* * *

I dared the universe to come at me, and it delivers. George, aka Cupcake, brings his hulking, armored, universe-pumped fists down on the roof of the room I'm in. He crushes the entire 'building' like it's a soda can. I barely run out in time before the whole room is flattened. Koj is ahead of me running. He seems to be more concerned with keeping a distance from me since I have a proverbial nuke coming down on my head.

The stomping of Cupcake's feet alerts me to his presence, and I am left with few options. Ramp forward, wall to the left, and a fall down to the right. The fall is only a ten feet, so I take it. I roll to the right and go right off the edge when his fist comes down where I was a moment before hand.

I land on my feet, stumble, but keep running. Crates provide cover, but I know cupcake. He'll knock them aside like they're nothing.

In the distance Visas and the Three Stooges make for the exit. Cupcake was nice enough to put down the droids in his frenzy to look for me, and the few remaining droids are only knocked aside by him as I run past with him on my heels.

No Force, no weapon, the crates won't help, and he can smash through most walls. What I need to do is hide, get to the ship, and have Visas jump us away before he notices I'm no longer there.

I weave myself around a corner and go around it, only to jump into a pile of crates. I wait for him to wisen up and start knocking them aside before I scramble out between his legs and slither into the space between the opened door and the wall. It's a tight fit, but with his intelligence, he'll think I ran off.

I stop to take a breather. Exhaustion hits me a bit heavily. I have been exercising a lot over the last few years to keep away the boredom, but running at full-throttle still leaves me winded. It's amazing how much of a Jedi or Sith's stamina comes from the Force when they have to endure long periods of time. I don't think they even realize how much of their physical energy is from the Force.

If they were stripped of it like me, then they'd figure it out.

A set of massive, red fingers grab hold of the door and pull, revealing me pinned up against the wall, and a hulking monstrosity looms down on him. Cupcake looks like he could pass for Diablo in a movie with how much red steam, red eyes, exo-skeleton, spikes, and strength he has. He holds himself low to the ground on his massive arms while his tail sways side to side, and his legs aren't all that small either. He just holds himself very forward. His spine also juts out of his back.

None of that I notice, I've seen it before. I'm a little more concerned with the eyes.

Followed by his fist.

I throw myself to the ground and lunge forward. His outreached hand grazes my back and I run out from between his legs. He growls angrily, turns around, and comes after me again.

With no other place to go, I run into the tube leading to the ship.

Cupcake, just by being as large as he is, if he tries to go in, would explode the tube and send us both jutting out into space. Cupcake is stupid, but he isn't that dumb. He glares at the smaller tube, roars, then forces himself to calm down. After a few moments his massive stature falls to normal and he continues coming after me.

Now he's brown, ugly, and looking like a normal lizard. The spikes, red eyes, red steam, tail, and exoskeleton is gone.

Cupcake manages to catch up with me just as we enter the Miraluka ship, and he grabs hold of my neck just as I lower myself down. He lifts me up and I squirm in his grip. "You have gone too far this time!"

I chuckle despite the fact that he could crush my windpipe with little effort. "I could say the same for you."

He looks at me curiously, then notices that a dozen guns and lightsabers are pointed at his head, neck, and chest. He growls and drops me. He puts his hands up.

"Shut the door." Visas orders. A soldier shuts the door, and barely a second later there is a loud clicking as we detach, and the ship shifts as it's engines kick in and we leave the station.

Visas looks at me, then at Cupcake, and asks, "What to do with you two…"

"Let me kill him…" Cupcake growls. One of his large eyes turns on her, but he doesn't move his head.

"For pulling that kind of crap like he did just now, I'm inclined to." Wait, what? I snap my head in her direction in surprise. Didn't they come here to get me? "But he's too important. We bought Koj'Ineh and his daughter, but I'm also told that the contract to buy Varus, that we signed, includes you and the three of his friends."

"Unfortunately…" Cupcake laments.

"Mhmmm…" Visas continues. "Sounds like the five of you are a load of trouble, and if I hadn't seen the last few minutes with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it." Well, technically she doesn't have eyes, but I probably shouldn't run my mouth and bring that up.

Visas takes a moment to think in silence before saying more firmly, "We will rendezvous with the Nomadic Fleet shortly. We will process all of you and decide what to do with you once we arrive. Until then, you" she points at the big guy, "will be confined to the brig. The other four will be confined to quarters."

"Hey!" I bark. I didn't do nothing!

But a couple of blind people grab me by the arm and lead me off anyway. One of them, who I recognize from earlier, groans. "Great… of all people we came to rescue it had to be the window washer…"

Why isn't Koj confined to quarters too!

I find myself and the Three Stooges thrown into another room. It's rather small, but judging from the approximate timetable of 'shortly', it's really just a place to keep hold of us. I look out the window. We jump into Warp soon after and the stars fly by.

From one master to another… I sigh.

"'ook on the bright side, boss." Rizzo says gently. "You sti' have us!"

That only makes me groan in agony. Visas said the intent was to free me later. Odds are she will be freeing George, Igor, Rizzo, Koj, Squirt, and Reeve (one of the three who is on some stupid spiritual journey related to silence) as well. But… the question is why? I recount to myself what I know.

She is Visas Marr. We were betrothed at birth. So there is a chance this whole 'freeing' escapade is her way of getting a husband if I'm forced into it. Yippee. Don't know anything about husbandry, romancery, or any of that stuff. All I do is get confused when shown interest and even more confused at emotions I don't understand.

I've gotten a better grasp of those emotions over the years, as the prisoners little hard-course on explaining sexuality and lust did wonders for my ignorance, but it's still not something I care to get involved with. The emotions of Revan is still in my head deep down, and frankly, the crap the prison taught me in that subject sounds brutal, harsh, and unnecessary.

She better not be doing this as a way of getting me back.

Another option is that I am the Miraluka Keeper. I don't know necessarily what that means entirely. I know it involves some kind of royalty or leadership but… that's not me. I'm not a leader. I don't want to be leader, I don't claim to be leader, and I couldn't care less about people I don't know. I mean, I'm happy my people are still alive, but I don't know them and they don't know me. That leaves me rather detached.

They have the wrong guy if their plan is to have me lead them.

But then I've been gone for the last nineteen years, give or take a year. They have to have had a government of some sort in that time. Whatever or whoever it is, it can keep the position. I don't plan to usurp the throne.

Unless that is the plan. Crap, is Visas pulling me out to start a rebellion and claim I'm the real leader?

I shake my head and put aside the imaginative mess. I'm just going to work myself into a frenzy. All that matters is that soon I will be freed, and then I can figure out what to do with my life.

She said the most prominent nations in the galaxy are out to kill me, and we are actually on the run from them. That doesn't leave many options… But I'll make do. I will do fine once I'm a free man again.

I went to prison to redeem myself. I may have been put in for life, but I think, logically, that being subject to slavery, torture, and hard, backbreaking, physical labor over the last four years might take off a good chunk of the life sentence, if not all of it.

If the Republic makes another go at me for my past sins and claims, with rightful authority and judgment, that the slavery does not replace the life sentence… then I'll do what I need to do to ensure Starkiller pays.

Until then, Varus is going to make do. How are Tree-Hugger and Mother Hen doing? Would they be happy to see me again? I also have a promise to Koj'Ineh I made a long time ago, concealed as a not-promise, to help his people. Not sure what I can do, but that sounds like a good start to my life. Also I need to find out what happened to the Ravager and HK-47. And how's Falon and Kota doing?

Where to begin…

To the Stooges credit, the three of them are being awfully quiet while I sit against the window in the dark room and think. Guess they aren't completely bad. I haven't thought this hard in a long… time…

They are staring at me wide eyed. That's not them just being quiet to let me have some peace, that's them hero-worshipping! "Turn around and knock it off!" I bark.

They jump in fright and do as I say.

First thing I will need to do is get an idea of all that has happened in the last five years. I've gotten the most of it down the grape vine. The galaxy has reshaped itself in a power vacuum. What was once the Hutts, Confederacy, and Republic as the main powers, is now Hutts with the Dominion and Old Republic against the Mandalorian Clans with the United Systems Alliance and New Republic. Not sure how the Revanchist fit in there or the Miraluka and I don't know who is winning or what.

The Dominion showed up at the Mining station regularly for shipments and checkups, that was obvious enough for an initial change.

And how are the Sith and Jedi doing? They slaughtered each other yet?

I shake my head and chastise myself. I shouldn't be wishing bad on them. The ones responsible for the crimes against me are long gone and dead. The remaining Jedi don't deserve my bad will. Of course, same could be said of the Sith besides Nihilus, as Nihilus was the only one to have truly done me wrong. Guess it doesn't work both ways. I either have to forgive 'em all or hate 'em all. I'd rather be distant and wary of both. I don't plan to be indoctrinated again.

It's time to forge my own path.

As soon as I figure out what that is.

We come out of Warp after what feels like a few minutes, but the time on the wall shows it was just half 'n hour. The ship turns and I get quite a view. I don't even mind the Stooges crowding me to get a breathtaking view.

Hundreds and hundreds of ships make up this fleet. Big ships half the size of a dreadnaught, small ships the size of a small transport. They all vary so vastly in design and size that its hard to say that this is a single fleet. It looks more like a pirate crew thrown together from dozens of cultures and designs. They are also made up of hundreds of colors and art-designs splattered all over them. There are very few windows I can make out or lights for that matter. Usually ships have lights out to reveal nearby ships in the darkness of space, but they lack that. The only way I can see so many ships is from the engine lights. They look spooky in the shadow of space.

Our ship comes up near the largest of the vessels and enters the hanger bay. The ship itself has hangers going out both sides that connects in the middle, so you could fly straight through the whole ship and come out the other side if you wanted. It has small vessels going in and out of it by the dozens across hundreds of landing pads. It takes several minutes as we wait for a spot to land.

After a spot clears in the hanger, we float down and a sudden shake of the ship tells me we landed.

A knock on the door. "Come." A Miraluka opens the door. He has a pair of sun-glasses over his eyes instead of a cloth. It looks rather classy. I wouldn't guess he was Miraluka if it wasn't that kind of ship.

"If you would come with me." He motions for us to follow.

The four of us follow him out and I see Koj waiting for us at the exit. Jerk wasn't put under room arrest... Speaking of which, "Where's Squirt?" I ask. Visas is here as well, but Cupcake is missing.

Koj nods his head down another hall. "Sleeping. She woke up soon after we departed and went into... what do you call it? 'Fanatics'?"

I wince. I should have thought about how she would react on waking up. A part of me wishes I would have been there to comfort her. I sigh and pinch my nose as I feel a headache coming on. "I'm sorry, Koj. I wish I was there for her." Koj may be her father, but there is something about me that makes her feel safe.

Koj nods his acknowledgement. "I will stay here with her. Return when you can."

"Varus is the only one coming with me." Visas responds. "He is expected. The rest of you are going to stay until someone comes in to process you. I don't mean to be rude, but we have no idea what to do with you. You have no place here, no place anywhere. Each of you, including George, will be assigned to an official who will work with you to help you find a place in society, and if you don't want to immigrate to the Miraluka Fleet then you will be dropped off at a nearby port with enough credits to be situated for a week. As of this moment you are free men."

The Stooges cheer and Koj bows, but anyone who knows him like me would see the difference in his silent gestures. This is a bow from the bottom of his heart.

I, on the other hand, ain't that big on celebrating. I have other things in mind. "In that case, I'm out of here." I spin to leave, but Visas grabs my shoulder with an iron grip.

"You're not free, not yet."

"But-" I start to whine.

"Meet the Mistress, then you're free."

I glare at her out of the corner of my eye. The corner of her lips quirk up. She's enjoying this. "Jerk..." I mutter, but return to standing beside her and motion for her to lead with a deep bow at the hip. "After you, Princess."

"I'm not a princess." She says offhandedly as she taps a button and the door opens. She leads me down the ramp and onto the hanger.


	9. Ep01 - Five Years Later Part 3 of 4

**Note: Sorry it took so long to release this chapter. University and getting sick has a way of keeping you from seeing the light of day for a long time.**

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* * *

**Episode 1 - Five Years Later Part 3/4**

* * *

The Miraluka flagship, _Fleet Mother,_ rested quietly amongst its children. Hundreds on hundreds of ships hovered around it like bees, and a few medium-sized vessels acting with other purposes. Resources were scarce, but they made do. Walls and flooring were removed to be melted down and expand room at the cost of integrity. Fresh water were carved from ice-planets in bulk, and sea water isn't hard to find from many systems. If they needed dirt, it was easy to find, as well. Between access to dirt, soil, fresh water, sea water, the fleet was able to run small farms on specially designed atmospheric ships.

It used to work, but the recent years have become worse. The Miraluka population has skyrocketed as if reproduction was the only source of entertainment left; and the scattered ships and colonies have merged together, thanks, in part, to the Revanchist's charitable assistance. The storage of crops was running dry. They needed to find a new home, or at least establish proper secure farming colonies.

And at the helm, the pressure was constantly on the mind of Sharif Rebhorn, captain of the _Fleet Mother_. He stared out with Miraluka senses to the 'bee's all around his ship. He tapped his fingers on the captain's chair nervously.

Visas was supposed to have called in by-

"Sir. We have confirmation! The target has been acquired!"

About time… Rebhorn nodded. "Send out a short-range signal to the fleet. Everyone is to go to Warp immediately to the rendezvous coordinates! No one jumps until the fleet is in position."

His crew relayed the message and immediately the fleet moved into position. Everyone cleared a fair distance from each other and the smallest ships flew into the safety of the larger ones with hangers. It was a tight fit, many would have to sit and hover in the small space without landing. Thankfully the ray-shielding would help with inertia. (Inertia is a crucial part of Warp flight.)

Over the course of minutes, the number of ships decreased as they moved into the various hangers available. The fleet of hundreds became the fleet of tens, but there was no confirmation still.

"Sir! Fleet appearing on distant radar in mid-warp! It's the Dominion!"

"Hold!" Rebhorn ordered.

The now-smaller fleet moved and set themselves in position. They needed to be safely away from each other to prevent damage in the explosion of a Warp-jump. "Shields?" Rebhorn wondered.

"Holding strong, captain."

He nodded and extended his senses back out to the space around him. A few ships were in position and sent back confirmation of readiness, but it wasn't all of them.

"Sir! The Dominion will be on us in moments!"

"Hold!" He yelled. The crew fidgeted nervously. They may have numbers on their side, but this wasn't a military fleet. It was a civilian fleet in every essence of the word. Less than five percent of the fleet was military grade and kept that way, and only because Visas and him pushed so hard against the Council.

"But sir!"

"HOLD!" He continued to order. He gripped his chair so hard his knuckles turned white.

One by one, the ships placed themselves in position. At last confirmation was sent and the fleet was ready. "Sir!"

"Go!" He didn't hesitate. "All ships go!"

Immediately his crew jumped into action relaying the message to the rest of the fleet and sending the _Fleet Mother_ into Warp. He didn't loosen his grip until he felt the hum of warp flight rippling through the hull and confirmation that the entire fleet was in motion.

"Good job, boys." He sighed and withdrew his hands from the sides of the chair. He fell into momentary meditation on the current situation. All ships were on the move, the Dominion were not far behind, the rendezvous point is in a neutral zone near the New Republic, and the target had been retrieved from slavery.

A part of him was completely ticked off. The Mistress was willing to put everyone in danger for one person. She hadn't asked for them to come, sure, but she knew they would. The people will never abandon her, just as they will never abandon the Keeper now that they finally had him.

He needed to see if this boy was worth two million lives come willing to throw their lives away.

He stood up and left the bridge. "Alert me if anything comes up. I'm going to see if this 'Keeper' was worth the risk."

* * *

Koj'Ineh rolled up the paper in his hands and stuffed it in his pocket. The 'agreement', such as it was, was the best option available to him right then. The Miraluka had indeed freed them from slavery, and personally judged their past crimes, up to a point, to be satisfied in the difficulty of life the slavery created (and probably due in majority to their relationship to Varus), but that hardly made them independent.

Independence implied the seven of them did not require outside assistance. Far from it, they had no money, no contacts, no housing, no clothes, no food, no water, and no job to obtain these things. The seven of them didn't even, technically, own the clothing on their backs. The clothing was provided by the Cartel in their slavery. The Miraluka didn't agree, but Koj'Ineh considered the clothing he wore to be 'borrowed' from his past slavers. He would happily return them in the endeavor to acquire proper clothing that covered his entire body. For years he has had to humiliation of revealing his head and bare hands to outsiders, but no more. First thing he was buying was a head covering, even if it went into his weapon funds and left him having to use his bare hands.

Koj'Ineh entered the small brig and stopped short of an official conversing with George in his cell. The discussion did not last much longer before the official walked up and left. Koj replaced the official's place. "George." Koj greeted.

George grunted in return from where he sat in the corner.

"How did the discussion go?" Koj wondered. Despite the childish rivalry between the two, George was as much a part of the group as Varus' gang, and therefore, a part of Koj's group until further notice.

"Well enough…" The lizard sighed. He was an unusual species. His features are less 'freakish' as far as aliens go. George's species was red-colored flesh, standing six and a half feet tall, with hunched shoulders and a head facing very far forwards and down. The species is remarkably bulky with legs and arms comparable to trunks and a wide flat head. Ontop his head, down the back of his neck, across the shoulders, down the back of his arms, and the back of his hand is a red flexible shell. The shell also extends around the torso and side of the legs, curving around to the top of his feet. He is an impressively strong creature covered in armor to begin with, and when he becomes angry, his shell hardens and expands, his bones extend out of his flesh in spikes, and his size doubles or triples. His tail also grows out.

It is unusual for a species to go through a kind of physical transformation where their mass jumps in quantity, but it always leaves him winded, hurting, and starving after. Perhaps the increase in mass comes from an alternate source, or the muscles inside the body, deep down, move to the outside and the skin stretches. Koj is not a scientist and cannot say, it is merely an educated guess.

Seeing that Koj was not going to respond, George continued, "They are not sure what to do with me. With my crime being first-degree murder, and Visas' little pissing contest, I look better rotting in here then walking out."

Koj nodded. "First degree murder is strong, yes, but my crime was 'terrorism', yet here I am, free. Just be patient. At worst you will be sent back to prison with a lighter sentence to finish."

The lizard snorted. "If you call that being optimistic, you must have a poor view of life."

"I'm a Ghorfa. We don't." Koj responded evenly with a hint of contained anger, then he remembered who he was talking to and calmed down. "Still, I believe things will improve. Have you read your offer yet?"

The lizard's eyes briefly glanced over a piece of paper in the basket just inside his cell. "No."

Koj nodded. "I suggest you read it. If it is identical to mine, it is a good opportunity."

George looked at him curiously before reaching out and taking it. He read it and the surprise on his face was telling. "Are they serious?"

"I believe so." Then again, Koj wasn't sure if the offer was different or identical to his.

George let out a loud laugh. "Oh! Puny Ghorfa! There is a Spirit, indeed!" George settled back and smiled openly, multiple rows of teeth showing. "As soon as I'm outta here, first thing we are doing is celebrating! I'm going to show you how to get yourself so drunk, Ghorfa, that you will think the Spirit of yours is giving you visions!"

"We have no money."

"Okay! Second thing!" The lizard's happiness would not be subdued. "A paltry thing. But, I ask you, Koj'Ineh, one prisoner to another… Will this journey of ours stop by my home? Even for a day?"

Koj tilted his head to the side curiously. "You have someone you wish to say 'hello' to?"

The lizard grinned evilly. "Something like that."

Shortly after, Koj'Ineh considered the talk over and departed with a 'goodbye'. He made his way to the three members of Varus' gang, otherwise known as the Three Stooges, and checked on them. They each had a similar piece of paper to him and were in the process of celebrating via wrestling and arguing like the brothers they were in all but blood.

Seeing as how the only one remaining without a contract was Varus, to his knowledge, he returned to his room and checked on his daughter. Crahjinawl, a name Varus refuses to try pronouncing properly, slept in his bed. His pillow was wet with her tears and she was shaking in disturbed, dark dreams. Koj patted her head and held her hand, but it had little effect on her fear. The only one who truly could take her fears away was Varus. Not that she didn't love her father, and Koj didn't try, but there was something about Varus that made her feel truly safe when he could not. Might be due to their history together.

Koj settled himself near her in a chair and read the paper.

It was a contract to hire the lot of them as mercenaries employed exclusively by the Nomadic Fleet, complete with a small ship and a starting number of credits to help them get situated. Koj suspected that a large portion of the credits would go towards Varus' surgery and some reasonable equipment.

But like any father, Koj's concern was more with what to do with Crahjinawl. Would she be on the ship with them? Would they leave her here? Would they take her to another home? And who would stay with her? She was not strong enough to be away from Koj or Varus yet, too much trauma in the last few years, and while Koj trusted the gang's intentions, he could not trust their ability to truly care for her when they could hardly care for themselves. Meanwhile, they were not close enough for him to trust like Varus, and he didn't trust the Miraluka.

He rolled up the paper and set it aside for the moment. He turned off the lamp and sat in darkness to think.

* * *

Visas leads me out into the hanger. The hanger is a hotbed of activity as ships are coming and going. No, wait, correction, they were coming and going. Now they've stopped. Instead, people are on the alert. "What's going on?" I ask.

"Now that we have rendezvoused with the Nomadic Fleet, we will be going to Warp to a safe location. It wasn't just me coming for you, Varus. The entire fleet was ready to come for you.

That really doesn't make me feel good. They are putting a lot of hopes on my value, whether that's good or bad intentions toward me. They really want me. If only I couldn't let them down. Unfortunately I know myself. "Sorry to have to tell you, but you all wasted your time. I'm not that trust worthy."

"Hmm." She mutters without emotional commitment.

The hanger door leading into the belly of the cruiser is actually a set of ten doors side by side with people entering in and out. The doors are wide open allowing people in and out freely. As we near, the people become more cluttered and before long we are walking in.

As we walk, I put my observational skills to the test. I am not the most observant person, but it keeps me from being bored. Visas and I are both Miraluka, and all Miraluka, with the exception of myself, are blind from some kind of Force ritual that is hereditary and passed down from birth. The ritual caused all Miraluka lines to have over ninety-nine percent rate of Force sensitives with an above-average power level. The only lines that don't is the Keeper line, of which I am the heir, and those considered crippled by Miraluka standards. The cripples are such because they are born blind, but no Force senses to compensate. The Miraluka see with the Force. I've become more in touch with it to a degree over my apprenticeship to Nihilus and Skywalker, but I've never had a real Miraluka teacher. I had to figure out how to "see" with my eyes closed in the dark.

One thing I've noticed of the Miraluka art is how it is like thread-weaving, but that's as much as I've figured out, and only by accident. My inherited blood lets me see it the way they do.

I'm rambling, but the point is that Miraluka is a race of blind Force sensetives that can see through walls. Personally I don't expect there to be walls as there is probably a lack of privacy. I mean, if I can see into my neighbor's apartment just as easily as my own, I don't think having a wall will do much.

Oh good heavens, I hope the showers are 'shielded' somehow from their sight. And the bedrooms. What do newlyweds have to do for some... privacy?

Before that train of thought sends me down an awkward impasse, I stop to gaze in amazement at the sight.

The inside of the ship is largely hollow. There are passages and rooms, sure, but not many. The majority of the ship is hollow and filled with people moving about. It's like... like... "A marketplace..." I say.

"A full city, actually. This is the mother ship of the fleet." Visas informs me, and with a gentle tug reminds me to follow her. "The other ships act as workers and soldiers in various ways. People live on the same ships they work, of course, but this, being the mother ship, is where we congregate the most. It is where our goods are stored and it's insides were largely removed to allow space for a centralized marketplace to be established. It may seem small, having the center of our "city" inside a single ship, but the ship has provided enough space to allow a real city to exist."

Wow, there are even road-side plants, situated buildings, sidewalks, everything. There's a fountain and pillars erected. In the distance I see a small playground filled with kids with trees and bushes and dirt to roll in.

The place is rather small, so everything is compacted. The buildings are squashed down to the minimal size and this looks like it's only a small corner's worth of a city. "Where's the rest of it?"

"There are multiple floors. It would be a massive waste of space to allow so much air over our heads." She explains, but has visible apprehension.

"And you don't agree with the idea?"

"No, not that. I agree with the Mistress' design. It has given us... a sense of home when we have none. But this floor is the most centralized to the hanger, and therefore the biggest security risk in an invasion. It's not as fortified as I would like."

I get the sense she is under exaggerating. It's not fortified at all inside. Still, it doesn't shake my amazement. I saw an armory inside a ship once, but I never would have imagined putting an entire city inside one! (Small that it is.) "Does this hold your entire population? This fleet?" I ask curiously.

She shakes her head. "We have established a few colonies, but nothing worth considering as a capital city or a centralized place to begin a true home. We ensure our colonies are hidden well... They act more as a last line than anything else." She sighs shallowly, and a great weight appears on her.

Right... We're an endangered species. "Sorry..." I mutter. I wish I cared, I really do. But I really have no attachment to them except guilt of my childhood and blood. I wish that would be enough to make me think of them as... more than strangers, but reality is they are not my 'home' if that makes any sense.

She nods, but tightens up like my pity is an insult. "'Sorry's won't do us any good. Only work."

"Whatever." Forget I said anything.

"We're almost there." She points to a set of stairs and we head up. "This is the Mistress's office just behind the bridge."

Now that I think of it... why are the lights on? Miraluka can't see light. They see as well in the dark as they do in the sun. I would say the trees need it, but artificial light? I don't know bu- HOLY CRAP THE ASSISTANT IS HOT!

I turn my eyes away immediately and feel myself redden. Okay... calm down. Not your fault you haven't been around a female in five years besides Skippy, Squirt, and Visas. Skippy hates my guts and is ugly. Squirt is my niece and... just no. Visas is... Okay, I don't know what she is. An annoyance? I don't know. I feel somewhat comfortable around her, but it's probably because I knew her as a kid. She isn't the same Visas.

Actually, now that I notice, Visas is hot.

Crap, focus Varus! Don't let the prison indoctrination get to your head!

"Are you okay?" The woman asks.

She's standing just in front of me and is a head smaller. She has brown-ish red hair shortly cut and a hood kept back. She has a thin cloth over her eyes that actually is classy instead of being scrappy rags dangling over her face. The cloth is black and perfectly folded, so she's kind of a neat freak or has attention to detail. Her facial features are about the most feminine I've seen in years and scream 'WOMAN!' Her posture is straight but relaxed and attentive. She's thin and vulnerable and... wavy or bumpy or something.

I really need to get out more...

"I-uh... I-I-I'm fine." I manage to force out.

"He hasn't seen a female in five years since you and me." Visas says flatly.

I feel myself pale in horror and hiss-whisper, "You don't count!"

"I'm not a female anymore?" Visas asks with some expression I can't make out. Haughty? Not sure what it's called. "Sure about that? Want to check?"

"I-I-I No, I…" I turn from Visas who is taunting the heck out of me and the innocent bystander who is trying really hard not to laugh at me. While biting her li-STOP THAT! "Shut up!"

I storm into the next room past two woman who howl in laughter. The door opens smoothly and I stand there glaring at the wall while Visas returns to my side. I am not going to look at her. Nope, not today.

The room is lightly lit by a fireplace centered in the room within an indented floor, beyond that the rest of the room is sparse of anything and barren of flavor or color or furniture except one thing.

On the other side of the room is a bed with an older woman on it. She looks about... fifty I'd say. She has tubes running out of her arms and a massive black scar from her face, down her neck, and into her body covered by loose clothing. She has no hair and she in some ways she looks over a hundred years old from how much she shakes and how she tenderly carries herself. She turns her head in my general direction.

"Hello… Galen." She greets with visible difficulty. Her voice is scratchy and damaged and leaves her out of breathe from just four syllables. Her hands shake so much she can barely lift them.

I just wave. So this is the Mistress? I expected better. She looks like an ad for death. She could keel over any second.

Visas bows herself down and motions to the woman. "Varus, meet the Mistress of the Miraluka, Victoria Marek." A faint chill goes into my spine that slowly builds up, and she finishes as if to explain why I have a chill in my spine, "Your mother."


	10. Ep01 - Five Years Later Part 4 of 4

**Note: The last chapter was shorter than I like. I usually aim for about 5000 words as a base-minimum, but I felt it ended on a good spot. So it was shorter, but had the impact I want. Now this chapter should be much longer and make up for it. :)**

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* * *

**Episode 1 - Five Years Later Part 4/4**

* * *

Mother…

For the last twenty years I have dreamed, mourned, wished, and even prayed to be able to claim that title again for myself. To have a mother, a female of authority over me, to hug me, to hold me, to sing to me. In the pale, cold life with Nihilus, I forgot what that was like. It became nothing more than a distant memory, an impression, left on my heart at most. It was something to hold dear and know exists in some form more than to actually remember what it was like.

"She is your mother, Varus."

Now as I hear it all that's left in me is the cold, empty knowledge that I do not know this woman. I don't know this female, this woman, in the bed who is crippled and in agonizing pain. She is a stranger to me as much as Visas is. Mother, stranger, pretender, whatever she is: I do not know her. I don't remember what it's like to be held, sung to, cradled, cared for, given gentle lectures without agony, or have someone be concerned for my wellbeing. As a Jedi I found lectures, people who cared, and who didn't even bring it up when I went through emotionally trying times and exposed my inner pain; but even then Mother Hen, despite the nickname, was never my mother. I cannot label Ahsoka, as I don't know what other female roles she can play in my life, but the one I truly know she is not, is my mother, as it is the only one that ever touched me.

But now, looking at my mother, or the woman claiming to me, what strikes me most is not the fact that she is alive, but the fact that a large part of me doesn't feel a thing.

What can I say? Should I be angry that she was ever alive and never rescued me from Nihilus? (Even though Nihilus probably hid the knowledge of other survivors besides Visas to keep me in self-loathing.) Should I be in agony as the scars on my heart are ripped open again? Or should my scars even be ripped open again to begin with? Should I be happy and joyful at this reunion? What should I feel? I need to feel something and say or do something, but I can't say what. A tension squeezes my chest, but it just sits there without moving toward any resolution or acknowledgement of any kind.

"Varus?" Visas asks.

My eyes drift to her and return to the woman on the bed. They are expecting an answer, but what should I do? Starkiller would be angry and lash out. Galen would be mourning and rush into her arms. Varus would think it's being made up, but at least make efforts to get to know her and remember everything. But I'm not any of them. I remember her as a child unlike Varus, I'm too cold deep down to be Galen anymore, and I am moving away from Starkiller. And Revan would embrace her, as his mother, but do it without overwhelming emotion like a child and rather like an adult.

But then, I don't know her. I may remember the feeling of a mother in distant dark memory, but I have forgotten it beyond that, as Varus did with life in general.

And who's to say this is even my mother? Starkiller would argue. Nihilus wiped out the homeland of the Miraluka and most of our population. While none of us in this head of mine can deny she is Miraluka, without being too cynical, there is also none of us that can confirm that this woman is my mother. She could very well be someone unrelated to me who thinks I am her son, and who is to say her son is even alive?

Visas turns and walks to the door just as a knock resounds. It startles me out of my thoughts. The door opens and the assistant woman (Turn away the eyes, Varus. Let's not make this anymore awkward than it already is.) walks in with an older man, also blinded like all Miraluka.

The man enters the room with permission from Visas and stands by my side. His head is not turned towards me, but I get the feeling that he is analyzing me and sizing me up anyway. He scoffs slightly, and if I knew for certain it was about me, I would be half-tempted to break his nose.

"Mistress Marek." The man bows. "We have departed the system. There were no problems, albeit by a small margin, and will be in Warp off and on for the next two days. We have begun the escape protocol."

"Very… good…" The 'Marek' woman breathes. She struggles to breathe after only two words.

"How goes the meeting with the 'Keeper'?" The man wonders. "This is him? Doesn't look like much." Okay, now I know his focus is on me, but he still won't give me the privilege of at least turning to face me.

Like an petulant ass, I walk right up to him. "My face is right here, Mister…"

"Rebhorn, captain of the _Fleet Mother_."

"Baby Back Rib, then." I come up with his nickname on the spot. I tried baby back ribs once as a slave, as a taste tester for poison. It was good. Poisoned, but good.

He turns himself to face me at last, and Visas and the assistant woman both cringes. The 'pretender' on the looks between us anxiously. The man has a powerful presence about him like a general and man of authority. His voice, at once neutral and factual, turns to threatening, slow, and calculated. "Excuse me?"

"What, you don't like the name, Baby Back?" I chuckle in his face. "Or do you before Baby Ribs?"

He frowns, and doesn't take the bait to lower himself to my level, but still is slightly angered. "I was expecting the renowned 'Keeper' to be… older. And more respectful. But then, wild things sometimes come in small packages."

Did he just call me small? Forget the fact that I'm a little shorter than him.

Time to pull out the big guns. Let's try something I picked up in prison. "It's not about the size, Baby Back. It's about how you use it and are confident. But you, you're the captain of a big ole ship with a couple thousand people living in it."

"You're point?" He asks flatly.

"Galen…" The 'pretender' whispers. The other two woman are giving me looks like 'don't do it!'.

"Oh." I shrug and ignore them. "It's nothing. It's just that big people like big missiles and big lasers and big ships make big explosions all in the name of overcompensation for something they find themselves… lacking." I grin knowingly as he flushes in anger.

"Wh-why I never!" He sputters and loses his composure.

"Bet you ain't never!" I agree adamantly. I'm not completely clear on it myself, but I'm pretty sure I just insulted his manhood. He gets so angry he starts to shake, but before he does something I know I will enjoy beating the heck out of him for starting, he storms out.

Good riddance. Didn't like him anyway.

"Galen…" The 'pretender' gasps in difficult breathe, but I put a hand up.

"Look…" I start genuinely sympathetic. "I appreciate everything, ma'am, rescue and all, but the fact is that Nihilus wiped out our population down to the last few scattered survivors. I sympathize with your pain. I saw the destruction first hand before living the rest of my life under the very person who destroyed my family, but the fact is that he did just that. He destroyed everyone. He killed my father, my mother, and everyone else he got his hands on. It wasn't until he was satisfied that he considered survivors, and even then I didn't know anyone besides me had survived but Visas until recently; and I never met Visas after that."

I sigh. "You're not my mother. I'm not your son. I'm sorry, but your son is dead. Even if by some freakish stroke of luck, which, granted, I tend to have, that I am your biological son, the Galen you knew is dead. Galen died when he believed himself to be the reason for his people's destruction and after his first murder. Starkiller, murderer and Sith, replaced him, and now I'm just trying to get rid of Starkiller after a temporary amnesia made me realize what I had become. I'm not Galen, I'm not Starkiller, I'm Varus."

The woman looks down in realization of my words. She has been expecting something all this time, and while I am being honest, it doesn't make it any easier on either of us. Her hopes are probably falling all around her, and it hurts to have to say it, but life sucks. She needs to get past this idea that I am the ghost of her son, whether it's true or not. Because… "Even if you are my biological mother… I don't know you and I'm a stranger to you."

And she doesn't say anything. Her head is down and the machine monitoring her heart goes nuts. She isn't going into shock, medically speaking, but it's a sign of her inner turmoil. As if the glares I was getting on my head from the two woman behind me wasn't clue enough. They don't even have eyes and the glares are obvious without looking. Funny thing about atmosphere, people can make it angry and hostile without a word, move, or action. It's like I can read their minds.

Another thought comes to me, and I try to be reasonable some more. "Listen, you bring me an impartial blood test to analyze us and confirm that we are related, and I'll listen, but don't try to give me hope. I'm past hope."

The moments pass by as I feel I have nothing more to say on the matter.

I turn to see Visas and the assistant woman are no longer infuriated with me, but sad and pitying. Normally I don't like or want pity, but this is real sadness in a sad moment. Nihilus took hope away from me. I see no reason restoring it without the shadow of a doubt and actual proof in my hands. The assistant woman is crying and Visas is subdued.

The 'pretender' is devastated and tears pour down her face. I turn away, not bearing to have to watch it.

"Thank… you." She manages to gasp out.

My mind goes blank in surprise. Of all the words I was expecting, that wasn't it. Even while a lot of her hopes and aspirations come crashing down, she stays strong. I give the physically crippled, heart-broken woman the most respectful bow I think I have ever given anyone and depart. Visas and the other woman don't follow me they are so stunned or subdued.

I don't blame them. I have a lot of thinking to do myself. I meant what I said. If there is absolute proof by an impartial group that verifies we are related, then I will want to get to know her and not have this woman be a stranger. But that still doesn't leave me all that detached. I haven't considered the possibility of thinking of trying to even come close to hoping for years. Nihilus ground that into me. The possibility, even as remote as it is, leaves me wanting to rip that scar off and let myself hope.

Because of all the things I've come to count on, it's my own rotten luck.

* * *

None of the woman were able to breathe or say anything without it feeling awkward until minutes after Varus left.

Ashley Marr looked to her sister. She remembered what Visas was like when the Revanchist finally rescued her. Visas had improved over the years since they were reunited, but she hadn't stopped to think that the Mistress' son would be worse off. "Was it that bad?" She wondered.

Visas didn't say anything at first, but finally said, "Nihilus has a way of sucking the life, energy, and goodness out of things around him just by existing. As bad as I was, it was only from brief exposure. Galen, Starkiller, Varus, whatever he wants to be called, he lived with the man day and night." She paused to let that sink in. "He might as well be the son of Nihilus rather than the son of Marek"

Ashley contemplated the man. He was in a situation like that, many times worse off than her sister had been, and Visas had been suicidal and dark when she was rescued. Visas had rarely spoken, and was almost a broken robot. It had taken her years to recover, but the scars were still evident. She remembered her sister being wild and fun-loving as a child, but now was one of the most emo people she ever knew.

Varus on the other hand came out of it able to crack jokes, be insulting in a funny way over his pride, and was oddly respectful to his mother despite denying the relationship; but then he was right. The son and mother were strangers now.

For Varus to be capable of that at all, Ashley could only marvel and wonder how strong he was deep down. He wasn't a broken man. He was a wounded giant who refused to give up.

Ashley felt down the bond she shared with the Miraluka network. It was weak, it was always weak without the Keeper, but the strongest part of the bond was with the Mistress. Ashley let her mind touch Victoria's, and they shared their feelings.

Varus' mother was hurt, badly, but she also acknowledged his point and found hope. Varus was willing to be reasonable, and despite the pain, that was more than what they had before. His mother also wondered just how strong Varus was to be able to live with Nihilus, the monster that killed his people, while he blamed himself, and come out of it remotely human. She felt pride for her son just as much as agony of knowing what her baby had to live with.

-Watch him.- The Mistress said in Ashely's mind. Ashely felt her worry. -This could be a shield he has over himself. He might be suicidal and hiding it. I don't want him hurt.-

-Yes, Ma'am.- Ashley sent a warm smile through the bond.

* * *

**(A few days ago. Somewhere on the Clan-Cartel border.)**

"And I'm telling you he has about as much of a chance of beating Charvez in seven rounds as I do of growing breasts." Izthark returned.

Rex Voda said in the com, "I'm sure Governor Zaalbar would love to see that. When are the two of you going to start dating?"

"DON'T DARE YOU DARE!" Izthark barked at the accusation. Despite the 'suggestion' he didn't move himself from where he was perched. He kept his gun facing forwards at all times and watched the built-in sniper-cam plugged into his visor. The terrorists were anxious, but not suspecting he had them in his sights. "Big freakin' overgrown rug is still pissed I took advantage of him while drunk."

"You did what?" The third one wondered. The third one was shorter than them, laying on the ground beside him with his head facing the clouds. Except he wasn't watching the clouds. His helmet had no visor. True, the fourteen year old was in full custom-made Mandalorian armor, without the 'Mando'a' signias, but his helmet still had no visor. His helmet was a blank-white canvas. He wore a black visor over his eyes when he didn't have the helmet on. His armor was white and silver and astatically rounded, while most Clan armor was more blocky. The kid also had a flair for white tassels or some crap some days. Between the white face of his helmet, the flowing tassels and ribbons and junk, and his growing reputation, he had earned the nickname 'ghost' or 'phantom'. Izthark just liked to call him Falon.

The last several years had been beyond anything Izthark had ever imagined. His people had restored themselves to a glorious nation rivaling the others, and had the greatest military thanks to the addition of clones. A couple of Jedi Sects had offered services in various capacities, or just asked for refuge, in return for the security they offered. Almost all of the clans had been against it, they didn't much like Force-Users at all, especially Mandalore, but the Duchess had a way over her husband that… made it work. Izthark had no idea how she did it, but Mandalore allowed the likes of Falon to join them.

If the Duchess was as good in his bed as rumor was, he could imagine how. Not that it was entirely appropriate to think like that, considering today. Some Sith had gone in, wiped out an entire sect of Force Users, and taken the Duchess hostage.

She had been instrumental in bringing the 'clones' into acceptance as the official 'Voda' clan. (Voda translated as 'brothers'. Fairly fitting in a group of brothers amongst each other, and being considered brother to the Mandalorians as a whole, in a sense.) And she had worked her lovely little finger around the most rock-hard, toughest bastard Izthark had ever knew, even married the guy (she must be stupid.), and was at the fore-front of the whole 'do we let the Jedi sects in' issue. And she had probably the most contacts, favors, friends, and general good will with the New Republic and United Systems Alliance out of everyone in the Clans. She was literally, and figuratively, the second most powerful individual in the most powerful nation in the Galaxy right now, beside the Cartel. Izthark wasn't going to bother looking at all the critics little reasons as to why the Cartel was 'tangibly' superior. The Clans were 'intangibly' superior as far as he was concerned.

Suffice to say this little Sith was going to be on the front page of the newspaper. If they had anything to say about it, the only picture would be of his decapitated head. Mandalore was a split-hair away from blowing the whole factory down to dust if it wasn't for the little atomic nuke in there and his wife being held hostage.

"Yeah, I took advantage of him while he was drunk…" Izthark admitted. "I had to even the score. He was a whole point ahead in arm wrestling! I can't just let that go!"

Rex turned his head ever so slightly. His voice came through the helmet comm, "And you weren't worried about the LACK of CONTROL a drunk WOOKIE has over his STRENGTH? He has difficulty not ripping your arm out while sober. I'm surprised he didn't take it clean off, use it to brush his teeth, then beat you to death with it."

"I'm sure the Governor wouldn't mind having a Mando'a arm hanging on his wall." Falon chimed in. The teenagers voice broke in that annoying age where he wasn't deep quite yet.

"Hardy-har-har!" Izthark mocked. "I still don't see how Chewy is going to beat Charvez."

"HE'S A WOOKIE!" Rex repeated his argument. "What part of that have we not confirmed yet?"

"I don't think he cares." Falon chimed in, again.

"Exactly why Charvez will win. Mandalorians are too stubborn, too caring, too-"

"Stupid?"

"To lose. Exactly. He will not be able to box again, but he'll win. It's that kind of resolve we have always had."

"And look where that got us." Rex wondered out loud.

Falon perked up and sat up while Rex and Izthark continued to argue. The two Mandalorians went on without noticing, but Falon said, "We're going in two minutes."

With that, the jokes were off the table. Izthark sighed. "Negotiations failed?"

"I don't know. Our mission is to go in, take the bomb, secure it, dismantle it."

"I haven't heard anything." Rex argued.

Falon turned his blind face to Rex and said, "You'll see."

A minute and a half later an official called in on their comm, "Squad R.I.F. the mission is to infiltrate the terrorists and take the bomb. Intel reports it in the basement. Find it and dismantle it. You will have no backup. Confirm?"

Falon said, "See?"

Rex gaped in his helmet. How did the teenager know?

"Confirm? Squad R.I.F.?"

Rex responded, "Yes, yes. We got it. Thank you command."

"Good luck, squad. Oh, and if you hear any explosions, that would be us. For the Clans!"

"For the Clans!" Izthark and Rex declared.

Izthark and Falon got on the move, and Izthark took command of the team. "Rex, your new to dealing with Falon, so trust me, he's the key to this." Falon slid down the ladder and returned an 'all clear'. "Falon is an unusual Jedi, and a genius."

"Yes, but-" Rex slid down the ladder and ran full throttle behind a large crate. He figured the distance to be twenty-five feet from here and the warehouse door. "Do you know how to dismantle bombs, Falon?"

"He doesn't have to. We'll call it in and get disposal to instruct us." He slid down as well and took up position beside them. "Okay, Falon. Do your stuff."

Falon nodded and perched himself against the metal crate. With the crate being twenty by ten by five, it was easy to hide. Izthark motioned for Rex to take up position on the opposite side while he peered around his side. Rex returned an 'all-clear'.

A few seconds later, Rex asked, "What's Falon doing?"

"Keeping us alive, now please be quiet." Falon said in Rex's ear mic.

Falon extended himself into the Force and produced a vision. In the vision he walked out into the open. He stood there a full minute running in circles. Finally he got shot in the chest.

Falon predicted where the shot was and found the sniper in his second vision.

In the third vision he found his way blindly to the door, and started to open it. A bullet from the same sniper stopped him.

By the seventh vision Falon found a position near the large warehouse door where the sniper wasn't watching, but couldn't get the door open.

In the eight vision he grabbed the other two to help him open the door from there, and together they managed to get it open, but were immediately shot.

The tenth vision found the next shooter from a car used as barricade. Next Falon decided to try having Izthark take out the sniper and car-hiding-shooter while Rex and him opened the door.

By the fifteenth vision Falon found their way in to the warehouse. Three more terrorists waited for him.

By the thirty-first vision Falon found the solution to the sniper, the care-hiding-shooter, and every other terrorist in the room. Next up was ensuring the room was secure.

By the seventy-sixth vision Falon found the solution to securing the first room, and found the basement entrance. He couldn't extend his visions any further and felt satisfied with the results.

"I'm ready." Falon said.

"For what?"

"There's a sniper to the right side as we come near the door. Izthark, hide in the corner next to a burst pipe and wait for him to appear. Rex, follow me." Falon jumped up and ran.

He was blind, but he had memorized the path. Izthark took up position near the wall by the burst pipe and aimed his sights toward a far window. Rex and Falon moved to the door they took the door handles. It was large and heavy, but they managed to open it slightly. The door made too much noise, and the sniper noticed. Thankfully, Izthark was waiting and took him out. He ran to the other two and took up position behind the barely-opened door.

"There is a man behind the car behind the door acting as a barricade, and three more on the ramps overhead, and another seven in the distance that come will when guns fire. Izthark, aim for the right corridor, Rex, the front one. I'll take care of the rest."

A few seconds later, as soon as soon as the door opened wider, Falon pushed the barricade-car back into the person hiding behind it and Force tossed it into the ramp above them, crushing the other three, and jammed it into the hall to the left.

Izthark and Rex ran across the room and took up positions aiming down the opposing halls. They took out the reinforcements, and Falon started securing the last two halls. He took hold of the ramps with the Force, bent them, and jammed them in like doors.

With the room secure, Izthark aimed down the stairs to the basement. "It's clear from here, Falon?"

"On it." Falon sat down behind cover and meditated.

Through his vision he walked down the stairs with his hands along the wall. He came to a branching turn in three directions.

With the next ten visions he explored them to the next several turns.

With the next thirty visions he explored them.

With each vision that found a new pathway through the labyrinth, he extended another separate vision down each turn.

Falon stopped to catch his breathe. It was draining, and it only took a minute to go this far. "It's massive down there. This warehouse is fully equipped so employees never have to leave."

"Hostiles?" Rex wondered.

"By the score, but none where the bomb is. I'll keep looking."

Falon continued on through another two hundred visions, every one branching out slowly further and further. He was blind in his visions as well, and could only rely on touch and hearing, but eventually he came across a guy holding a woman hostage threatening to blow a nuke.

"Found it," he confirmed. "Follow me. We will have to go through a number of defenders to get to it, but it will be nothing you can't handle."

Falon, Rex, and Izthark entered the basement. They followed Falon through the labyrinth making up the lower city beneath the warehouse. "Left, in the rafters" Falon alerted them with a point. Rex loomed around and took him out.

They came across a trap, but kept from tripping it, and after another two terrorists hiding in wait, they found it.

There was the nuke nestled on the far side of the room, and sitting on top of it was a man in a hood. They couldn't make him out. In the center of the room itself was a terrorist with a woman pinned against his chest and a gun to her head. He waved it at them, "COME ANY CLOSER AND SHE DIES! I mean it!"

Rex aimed, but said in his comm, "I can't risk it. His head is too close to her. He knows how to hide behind a hostage well."

"I can shook her in the leg and trip him in the process." Izthark offered.

"No!"

"Let me try." Falon offered.

Rex turned to him from where they hid behind cover. "You can't be serious. You think you can stop him from killing you and her with no weapon and no sight? Your far sight may have gotten us this far, but-"

"Trust me." Falon said reassuringly. "Everything will be fine. I've done this before."

Izthark trained his sight on the man in robes sitting on the nuke. "I don't like how this guy is sitting so casually. He has to be stupid or a Force User… Okay, Falon, get the first one to expose himself for Rex, and I'll take care the robed one."

"Understood." Falon said in the comm, then he changed the comm to go through external speakers with a voice command. He walked out in the open and the terrorist with the hostage immediately aimed at him, but no one fired.

"Get back! I'll shoot! I swear!"

Falon put his hands up, but took very slow, careful steps. "You don't want to do this."

The terrorist took a warning shot, and Falon stopped. Falon tried, "I have seen every possible ending to this scenario. Only one ends well for you." He noted the sudden whimper of the woman and realized he had only turtled up.

With his visions, Falon walked forward. The first one was shot in the head. With the next three visions he found the trajectory, and adapted. With the next four visions he evaded the first bullet and experimented with the second. With each passing vision he came closer and closer to the man and evaded one bullet after another. Falon's mind saw vision after vision in the blink of an eye, each one passing over the next so smoothly and in so many layers that it almost looked like he had cloned himself a hundred times.

Until Falon was standing directly in front of the man grabbing hold of his gun. The man had missed every shot and used all his ammo. "That wasn't it." Falon let him know.

The terrorist, whether in shock of how this person had so easily evaded his seven shots, or his words, or how he was holding his own gun by the front barrel, reached out with a grenade, and in so doing, took a defensive step back from Falon, lining himself up for Rex.

A pair of shots echoed through the room and the terrorist fell backwards. The man in robes was turned slightly as he had evaded Izthark's shot by simply tilting to the side.

The hostage fell into Falon's arms, and he escorted her to the side to get out of the way while Rex and Izthark rushed the room and surrounded the robed stranger. Falon had a bad feeling about him and pulled out his lightsaber. He withdrew into his visions and-

"NO!" Falon yelled. Just in time to keep Rex and Izthark from starting the fight.

The robed man turned his head ever so slightly to the blind vision-seeing Padawan, and Izthark realized the man's eyes were red. He couldn't see his face, but the shining eyes were evident.

Falon took the brief hesitation to analyze, document, and go through hundreds of visions. He tried different ways, he tried negotiation, he tried combat, he tried reasoning with the man, he tried escaping and running, but not one of them worked. So he tried another method in his visions, and found it was risky. He found a way to make it work, but the risk was based on the stranger's disposition. Falon did the same thing a hundred times, perfectly similar, but each one produced a very slightly different result, based entirely on the stranger. In half of them Falon died, in a fourth they all died, and in a remaining few, they all lived.

Falon hated gambling, but the more time he used to explore visions and decide on an avenue of destiny to take hold of, the number of destinies offering hope was thinning. Already he figured his odds to have dropped by ten percent just by hesitating just now.

Falon grabbed the grenade on the floor and turned it on. "I don't know who you are, but either you can run and hide and live, or you can fight and die with the rest of us." From how close Falon figured he was, setting off the grenade would blow the nuke. It was a bluff, but the warehouse was deep. The nuke was meant to be taken to the surface a few days from now, but they had come early to stop it. Even so, it would leave a lot of people dead.

To say Izthark and Rex were shocked was an understatement, but they kept it concealed by virtue of training alone. "Falon, what are you doing?" Izthark barked in the comm. "We can take him."

"No, we cannot." Falon denied. "Not without willing to risk everything."

Izthark briefly glanced at him before returning his sights down his rifle. Never before had he heard that come from Falon. In all of the missions they had done together in the last two years, not once did Falon find no hope like this. Falon always found a way. He always explored his little views of destiny and time-lines and what-not, and always found a way to produce maximum results with safety.

Izthark wondered just who this robed-man was to make even Falon find no hope outside of suicide.

For the robed-man's part, he merely chuckled. "Ballsy of you, kid." The man reached up, took hold of his hood, and threw it back. "I like that." Izthark and Rex immediately flinched. Izthark recognized him from the news and recalled the young man had helped on Dantooine years ago, and Rex recognized him as Ahsoka's old partner. The man was a few years older than they remembered, but it was definitely Varus Wynn.

Falon, being blind, had no idea, and Izthark didn't intend to say anything until they were out of this crap-fest. Falon had a grudge on his old friend. Falon believed, to which Izthark agreed, that if Varus knew of Nihilus, and didn't tell the Jedi about Nihilus' plot, then he played a part in their genocide just as much. Varus knew and chose to do nothing until the last day.

The most painful part of it was that Falon's friendship to his old friend in memory was now equal to his feelings of betrayal. It remained but fed his pain.

Varus laughed at their shock and stood to his feet. "It's all yours. I'm done here."

Rex and Izthark kept their guns on him as he walked by, but Rex couldn't just let it go without saying something. Ahsoka had talked about Varus all the time, even cried about him during her recovery phase following Coruscant, and he couldn't believe this was the same man. "Didn't what your team teach you mean anything to you, Varus?" Rex asked. "Are you just going to turn on everything you have been taught? Your own team you loved!? They were willing to DIE for you! How can this, in comparison to that, be of any value!? What do you get out of this?"

Varus stopped briefly. He looked confused for a moment, but his face became cynical again. He shrugged. "I just want to see the world spin. We will see each other again. The Aeterna is come."

Varus left and Falon immediately took to the bomb. Izthark and Rex were still concerned with the former-Jedi who just left, and didn't notice Falon was dismantling the bomb. "FALON!" Izthark barked.

Falon jumped with his hand around the wires. "DON'T DO THAT! You almost got us killed!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Dismantling. What's it look like."

Rex looked up at Izthark in disbelief. "He's a bomb specialist now?"

"Nope. Falon, get away from the nuke! We have it secured and need to call in for instruct-"

"Done." Falon stepped away.

Again, Rex and Falon looked at each other in disbelief. The bomb had powered off. "What? How? You?"

"How did you do that? Was this another of your Force things?" Rex asked.

Falon sighed. After he had almost singlehandedly won this day, he would have thought Rex wouldn't be so disbelieving. "Funny thing about controlling visions by the thousands… It lets you practice trial and error, and genius is ninety-nine percent trial and error."

Izthark found himself chuckling weakly, even though his legs shook. It was slightly comical how Falon was calling himself a genius right now. Izthark was more along the lines of getting nauseous and collapsing under shaky legs after the sight of the blind teenager with his hands in the bomb. "Falon… You know I believe in you, but if you ever, ever, dismantle a bomb using your little 'trial-and-error' method, again, I will yell in your ear so loud you will lose."

"And kill us all?"

"Just to prove you wrong." Izthark cursed. "OHHHH! EGOTISTCAL KIDS! Keep this up and you will need a new head to hold your inflating brain!"

With the mission complete, all that was left was leaving safely. Distant gun fire alerted them to battles on the higher levels of the warehouse, but they paid it no mind. The elite of the elite was involved here. Odds are they wouldn't lose one causality.

As they left, each of their minds was left in what they had seen. Rex worried for Ahsoka and Skywalker, as Varus' change of heart would hurt them deeply. Ahsoka had never truly come to terms with his death. If it wasn't for her being a Jedi Padawan, with all of their distancing from relationships, he would have thought she loved him.

Izthark worried what this former Jedi's role in the terrorist cell was. The terrorists had appeared out of nowhere and were well funded and well organized. They took the Duchess out from under their nose so easily before, and he had no doubt Varus Wynn was involved. Yet for the Fallen Jedi to take her, set up a nuke, and just as quickly depart empty handed, and sparing them, spoke of behavior that he could hardly wrap his mind around. Either the Fallen Jedi was insane, bent on chaos and enjoying people suffer for the thrill of it, or had a larger plan in mind and used this merely as a first step.

Falon contemplated the identity of the Sith. The person's aura was dark, full of power and energy, but also had a chaotically fun feel to it that was all too familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

They returned to headquarters and entered the tent. Mandalorians all worked, patrolled, and kept a solid perimeter on the camp site, while, in the dance, the battlefield played out. From what Falon was able to hear, it had gone well, and they had reclaimed the Duchess. He looked into visions periodically, but paid most events little mind. He checked to be sure that they were not in danger, and let other events play out in real time.

The three of them sat down out of the way, asked for some water, and sipped it while watching events play out. It wasn't long before the main group returned. Izthark laughed mockingly. Mandalore was keeping his wife in arm's reach the entire time. "Overprotective bear, much?!" Mandalore glared at him, but Izthark only laughed harder, resulting in a punch to the face.

Falon just shook his head in shame.

"The mission was a success, then?" Mandalore asked Rex. Rex nodded. "Good. You have brought honor to the Voda clan and Jedi, all of you. Was there anything I should know?"

"Yes, Mandalore. There was a Sith."

"A Sith." Mandalore repeated darkly.

"Yes, Mandalore…" Rex glanced at Falon and said, "I recognized him, as did Izthark Oda. I, or rather we, believe it was Varus Wynn."

Mandalore stood silent a long time, but the way Falon went completely rigged, stood at attention, and clenched his fists so tightly his gauntlet's squeaked from the pressure, was telling. Mandalore said, "Rex Voda."

"Sir!"

"If I recall, you have a mutual friend of Wynn's." He conveyed no emotion.

"Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, sir."

Mandalore nodded, then ordered, "I will assign a small fleet to you, Izthark, Rex, and Falon. Find your Master and bring him as well. The four of you have a simple mission." Mandalore turned his head just enough to see his wife being attended to by some doctors. She had a number of bruises on her face. The terrorists had not treated her well, and they had been led by Wynn. But she was a strong woman. She was more embarrassed than actually hurt. "Bring me his head. It doesn't have to be attached."


	11. Ep02 - Freedom for a Price Part 1 of 3

**Note: **

**Okay, this episode is big on drama and character development. Some things need to be fleshed out properly before I am comfortable with moving on, such as Varus being told that a woman is his mother. He may have dealt with it well (and thanks for the reviews telling me it was perfect, I was a little skeptical about his reaction, even if it was fitting for his character) but it still has a profound impact on him. **

**I also want to flesh out some other characters in the whole Miraluka Nomadic Fleet and Varus Group a bit. While they are all side characters, I want them to have value of their own showing themselves to be more than faceless NPC's the main guy picks up random quests from and gets loot. They need story, they need character, they need development.**

**I haven't seen my beta readers lately, but no matter. They rarely have that much to add grammatically, mostly theoretical story plots. I'll continue pumping stuff out. I find them invaluable and want their help, but I can manage without them. **

**So let's get this show on the road!**

**Beta read by:**

**If anyone else wants to be a beta reader or help me with the story, feel free to PM me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, so no sue!**

**Remember to Review. I want to know what you think and how the chapter is to you. Is it good? Is it bad? Anything I need to know? Any ideas or things you want to see in the future?**

* * *

**Episode 2 - Freedom for a Price Part 1/3**

* * *

**Summary:**

**Five years have passed. Varus was a slave for the Hutt Cartel with Koj'Ineh and his daughter, and had a small group of friends and rivals at this side. Visas, as part of the Miraluka Nomadic Fleet, rescued them, freed them, returned them to the Fleet. **

**A deal has been offered to them to be exlusive mercs to pay back what they owe, and Varus has found the true reason they went so far to get him. The Mistress, hierarchy steward of the Miraluka, is Victoria Marek, his mother.**

* * *

Igor threw a card into Rizzo's shoe, or, rather, tried to. It flew through the air, suddenly stopped, flittered side to side, and glided smoothly under a side table. With practiced ease, Igor sent the next card flying, then the next, then the next, then the next. He wasn't even paying attention to where the cards were landing anymore. Reeve slept with his head inches away from where Igor was aimlessly tossing cards, causing a fair number of the cards to land on his head.

On the other hand, Rizzo was busy snooping around. He crawled around inspecting every surface of everything from the walls, the windows, the door, the doorknob, the eye hole, the bed, under the bed, between the mattresses- "What are you doing?" Igor wondered lazily.

"Inspectin'"

"For what? Your socks?"

"Ha-Ha!" Rizzo mocked while crawling his entire big frame under the bed. "My implant has been buzzin' 'ike mad! There is somethin' e'etric here."

"It's a ship." Igor tossed another card with two fingers.

"Trust me, there is ship-e'etric and there are bu's-e'etric!"

"Say it in Basic!"

"Bughs! Bughs!"

"Bugs?" Igor stopped tossing cards.

Rizzo cursed in another language, then hollered "Yes!" in glorious victory. He crawled out of the bottom of the bed with a small device between his fingers. Igor jumped off the bed and asked in sign language what they should do, but Rizzo had no idea what he was saying.

Rizzo pinched it in his fingers and sighed in relief. "Much better. My implant is no lon'er bothering me."

Igor continued his sign language, but Rizzo muttered, "I's fine now! I's dead."

"Oh… What do you think we should do? Should we tell Boss?"

Rizzo considered it, but shook his head. "Boss won't listen. Cupcake hates us. Koj mi'ht thou'h… wait… where **are** my socks?"

* * *

I return to the ship with a lot on my mind.

Twenty-four hours ago I was a nobody in the middle of nowhere. I had a simple life. Get up in the morning, have a quick breakfast with Koj, take Squirt to work, make sure she doesn't hurt herself, have lunch, annoy Cupcake, get back to work, have dinner, go to sleep. If Squirt is having nightmares, then I let her sleep with me. If not, she sleeps with her father. Back then the only problem I had was Skippy, Cupcake, and the periodic cold shoulder from Koj when he gets jealous of how Squirt feels about me, but everything always worked out.

I made efforts to keep Skippy happy so I could stay with my family, I left Cupcake alone when our rivalry went a step too far, and I have always ensured Koj understands that I have no desire to replace him in Squirt's life. My role with Squirt is that of a guardian and uncle, I can't replace the fatherhood and love he has for her and I can't teach her how to become a proud woman.

May sound like a lot at once, but this was the only stuff I had to deal with for a couple years. It was monotonous, but peaceful. I said, admittedly, that there was no future in it, but then, that was what I secretly loved about it. There was no life, but there was no death. There was no one dying, no war, no murders, nothing.

Now, in the span of twenty-four hours, I am sold, with adoptive family and friends, to a new owner. The new owner buys us only to free us. Since this 'person' is Miraluka, the 'person' wants me, another Miraluka, home. This isn't too much to take in.

But this 'person' claims to be my mother.

Who died.

Because of me.

Twenty-years ago.

I… I can't. I can't believe it. This isn't a 'wow, I can't believe it!' can't believe it. This is a 'this is not possible' can't believe it. My mother DIED! I may not have seen her head roll at Nihilus's hands, but I saw the aftermath. I saw the skeletons and destroyed structures. The village we called home was filled with small wooden cottages. It was outside the main city, and we liked the down-to-earth feel of it. The village was in ruins.

I walked to the center of the devastation and found Nihilus holding my father's skeleton by the head. He stared into the skull of my father and contemplated life, or he was considering lottery numbers, I don't know. The sight is forever implanted into my nightmares and mind.

For years I pushed the memory back, but now… it's all I can see. Everywhere I look, everyone I see, I see skeletons. Every building around is me is on fire. Dark shadows fill the brightly lit streets. In my empty hands is a red lightsaber with a hilt caked in blood up to my wrist.

No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try to move past Starkiller, no matter how many years it has been since I finally escaped Nihilus, no matter how far down I push the horror and images that shattered my childhood, it only returns. The peace I had as a simple slave with no purpose, no meaning, no existance, is replaced once again by the simple horrifying knowledge that I sold my people out. I betrayed them all.

And they want me back.

My feet pick up speed as I near the hanger. I pass by the crowd of Miraluka coming into the city and leaving to return to their home-ships sitting in the hanger bay. (We haven't come out of Warp yet. It would be dangerous to leave the Mother Ship.)

Why do they not look at me while I run by?! Do they not notice? Do they not see?! My hands are stained with so much blood they are black and my existance and worthiness to be called Galen Marek is destroyed and replaced with an abyssal space Nihilus planted there on purpose! Are they so blind they cannot see this murderer in their midst!?

I run up the hanger bay and just keep going. My feet take me where they will. I run by Cupcake and Igor and Rizzo and Reeve and Koj and Squirt and about a million other nameless Miraluka acting as crew. I run to the place acting as my room and slam the door shut. I don't notice myself crawling into bed, but the darkness around me speaks to me of Nihilus and I see him. I see Nihilus in my minds-eye. So I turn on the lamp and will myself to sleep with my eyes open.

My rational mind tells me that it's just all my bottled up emotions for so long catching up to me centralized around my mother, but my emotional mind doesn't care. I'm scared. I'm horrified. I embraced the darkness and shadows to learn from Nihilus to kill him. I stopped be scared of it long ago.

I haven't been afraid of the dark in twenty years… But right now… I… I'll wait to be strong tomorrow. Right now I just need to sleep. My rational mind tells me the silent tears are logical, and my manly side tells me I'm being a coward, but my emotional side, the side of a son that hasn't been allowed to exist in so long, tells me it doesn't matter.

I pass out at some point and barely notice the feeling of something small and warm crawl into my arms against my chest. It reminds me of a teddy bear… funny. I haven't had once since… Mother gave me one that I left at home all those years ago.

* * *

Koj stood outside the door to Varus' room and watched Crahjinawl sleep in in his arms. Her nightmares had never lessened and she had been shaking so hard, but now she finally slept. Varus also looked like he had calmed down a bit. Whatever it was he came storming in with, it had upset him more than Koj had ever seen in years. Varus was like an emotional brick. Nothing, and absolutely nothing truly phased him except Koj and Crahjinawl's safety. Before they reunited he was even worse: emotionless like a broken man with nothing left to lose or gain in life, just waiting to die.

Varus knew that Crahjinawl needed him, but did he truly know how much he needed them?

Koj shut the door and left his adoptive brother and daughter to the evening. He'd pretend to be angry later to ensure his territory was kept intact.

Koj returned to the main lobby of the ship to find the Three Stooges wrestling and fighting. Koj glanced up at George, but the lizard just shrugged. Koj sighed and seperated what appeared to be the main instigators: Rizzo and Igor. The two of them were lifted up kicking and screaming.

"Enough!" Koj demanded. "You are adults, act like it!"

"He is greedy bastard!"

"YOU STO'E MY SOCKS YOU FASCIST!"

Igor and Rizzo came at each other with renewed vigor but Koj kept them apart easily. He may be angular, but he was still the strongest short of George. Seeing no other way to deal with it, he brought their heads together and let them fall to the ground with mild concussions.

Koj looked to George out of the corner of his eyes. "You could have stopped them."

"And ended the show? What kind of person do you take me for?" The plated lizard smiled wickedly.

Koj sighed. "You two said you had something important? Spit it out."

Rizzo rubbed his head for a moment before recollection returned to him. "Oh yeah!" He pulled out a small device with wiring. "I found this bu' in our room."

George tensed up in anger and Koj looked closely at the device. "That's not a bug."

"It's not?" Rizzo asked.

"No, it's a microphone of some kind."

"THAT'S WHAT A BUG IS!" Igor yelled.

Koj looked at them curiously. He had never seen one before, but he recognized the fact that the entire thing was just a miniature microphone. "What does this have to do with bugs?" He asked blankly.

George roared in laughter. "That went completely over your head, Ghorfa! That little device is called a 'bug' because its small and can fit in places only insects are thought to hide. It's meant to listen in on conversations."

"Oh." Koj's composure darkened in realization. "You mean someone was spying on you?" Rizzo nodded. "How did you find it?"

"Oh, we', this hearin' imp'ant above my ear," Rizzo touched his skull just above the left ear. "Is sensitive to some radio frequencies and gives this rea'y freakish'y, loud, high-pitched, annoyin'-as-a'-out static sound! I know when wifi devices are on around me and broadcastin'."

"Have you found any more?"

"No."

"Good." Koj looked at the small device in the palm of his hand darkly. "I don't trust these people, but now I know for certain someone doesn't have our best interest at heart. Be on your guard. With this device no longer broadcasting, and us not knowing who planted it, we are at a horrible disadvantage. We don't know who the enemy is, and they know we found it and will be watchful for more. "

"But then, wouldn't telling us to be 'on our guard' only be falling into their hands?" Igor wondered.

"Unfortunately it is the only move we have available to us. At least they don't know how we found it."

Rizzo paled visibly. George groaned. "Please tell me you didn't reveal anything WHILE YOU WERE SEARCHING!"

Rizzo shook his head furiously. Koj sighed in relief, but held back the verdict. If someone went out of their way to plant a spying tool in their midst, then that person was probably aware they knew about it when the device stopped broadcasting.

It left them with a horrible disadvantage. They knew someone out there was watching them, but they didn't know who, and that 'who' knew they knew, meaning, ultimately, that the 'who' would be more cautious than ever and fail to underestimate them a second time. Koj and the other's with Varus may have gained the knowledge of a spy or potential foe, but in order to make the knowledge worth it, they needed more information on this foe before revealing their hand.

It would have been better to be patient, let the bug be, and use it to their advantage, rather than set off red flags.

Still, Koj wasn't upset. The gang wasn't all that bright, but they meant well. They saw a problem and dealt with it, in a fashion.

The sound of steps interrupted his thoughts and Koj turned to find a young female Miraluka enter the room. He immediately took a step forward, between her and the others, to establish dominance. He didn't know her, he didn't trust her, and right now, he didn't trust anybody. What was to keep her from being the spy?

"Do you know where Galen… I mean Varus, is?" She asked. If she knew Koj was standing against her, she didn't show it.

The Ghorfa narrowed his eyes at her. The first thing she wanted was Varus? That did not bode well with him. "Varus is busy." Koj said evenly.

"Oh." She hesitated, clearly not expecting that for an answer. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding." So she did notice his posture? Good. "I have been instructed by the Mistress to join him and act as go-between. Can you at least tell me how he is?"

Koj found himself frowning, or as close to it as a Ghorfa can with a circular mouth frame. Who was this Mistress? Why does she want this female to be Varus' little guardian? Shouldn't the Miraluka be able to see through walls like Visas could? Many questions, but he didn't care enough about answers to voice them.

"He's fine." Koj said shortly with his arms wrapped together.

"I… see." She returned slowly. She motioned to the lounge. "Well, do you all mind if I join you and wait?"

"Hn." He grunted.

George patted the couch next to him. "Come park yourself down, little lady. The brat should be finished with his beauty sleep in a few hours." Koj glared at him for giving away information, and the lizard returned the gaze passively. Koj turned away in frustration and sat down with the Stooges.

The woman sat down by the lizard. She did not look small standing alone, but when directly next to George, her small size was clearly evident. Cupcake looked like he could swallow her entire frame in his chest if she went so far as to curl up on his lap.

The minutes went by in uncomfortable silence. Koj kept his attention on her, studying her, observing her, figuring her out. Something few understand is how what you don't show is just as loud as what you do show. She fidgeted under his gaze, but she did not appear impatient or aggravated. She did not take his watchfulness as a threat nor did she rush to stop him. She let him be.

Her fingers were soft and smooth, meaning she was not a female of difficult labor; and her posture was straight, meaning she either had good self-control, some military training, or both. It appeared to be less military training as she was observant, but not alert. If Koj was to jump her, she would see it, but fail to respond in time.

Her posture was open with her hands resting on her knees palm up and her head up high. Her clothes were straight, sharp, and practical in purpose. It was simple pants and tight shirt with a hooded robe, but despite the practicality in purpose, the design made him wonder. He had seen people of various positions with different clothes, but this was the first time he had seen someone… so vibrant. Her clothes were made out of so many colors it hurt his eyes. It was almost as though the designer used hundreds of differently colored threads interwoven, or the designer was colorblind. The only clothing that wasn't an eyesore was the red-hood resting on darkish-red-brown hair. Her hair was well kept and short, more practicality, but also long enough to look attractive and bring attention.

So… she was someone of importance. Koj had the inkling that she was high up in a business or politics, yet not that high. She lacked the aura of someone of great importance and charisma. Instead she was very average, just with more professionalism.

An assistant or accountant perhaps?

"How long have you all known Varus?" She broke his thoughts.

George scoffed. "Too long."

"Years." Igor said.

Koj stayed silent.

"Five years ago," George started with the grandeur of great battle. "This stick of a man comes in, and rumors claim he was the apprentice of Nihilus. He wasn't the first, so I thought to see if he had the balls of a Sith…"

"Cupcake got his ass kicked." Igor interrupted.

George growled while the female giggled. She put a hand up to hide her smile. Igor took that as his queue, "Varus immediately established dominance as an alpha in the prison, and some flocked to his side for the protection his position offered." Igor's countenance briefly fell, "Prison is a bad place to be…" Rizzo put his hand on Igor's shoulder to offer comfort, and Koj caught the subtle message to hold strong.

Did something happen? Koj wasn't aware of anything.

Igor forced a smile and said, "Varus didn't promise anything, but he did protect us from the other gangs, and he made it clear that we were never to be the aggressor. That's how the three of us met him." Igor motioned to the other two of his group. "The ship was attacked by pirates at some point, and even so Varus did nothing. We were captured and sold off as slaves to the Hutts, and we have been moving from master to master since."

George growled, "If Varus had helped me with the pirates, we would have been free. Coward."

Koj shook his head knowingly. "Varus may be a free spirit, but he doesn't want to be free. There is something in him that haunts him, and a cage is what he feels will keep it contained."

The woman didn't gasp or have shock on her face, but her body language did about as much. She became still and uncertain, then wore concern on her face. "Visas was the same way…" She whispered.

"You know Visas Marr?" Koj asked.

She nodded with a sad smile. "I'm Ashley Marr, her sister… Visas returned to us a shadow of who she once was. She used to be so care free and wild, but now she is silent and overly serious. Actually, today is the first time I've seen her smile in a long time. She was teasing Varus and laughing. For a moment, she was who she used to be." The cloth around her eyes became damp with tears. She moved it and wiped her wet, empty eyes with a sleeve. "Varus did for her in minutes what I couldn't do in years."

Koj found himself ashamed. This wasn't some random female, it was a sister of a broken person much like Varus, and she was thankful for whatever Varus did. There were no ulterior motives. Ashley, at most, wanted to thank Varus personally.

"I will tell him you appreciated it." Koj said apologetically. "It may be some time before he wakes."

"It's fine." She responded resolutely. "I'll wait. The Mistress wishes for me to join you for a purpose. I'll explain when I see him."

Koj nodded. He didn't trust her, but he also didn't believe her to be a foe. Whether she would be a friend, acquaintance, or ally would be decided later. He'll let her discuss it later.

* * *

Pain, darkness, and never ending beeping was all the Victoria Marek knew, all that she had known for so long. The pain was like a cancer, originating from the deep scar down her body and seeping out into her veins like an acid leaving half of her body numb and the other half on fire. Little things people took for granted such as holding a spoon was beyond her, but over the years, it wasn't as bad. She found she could get used to the pain. When something like a dark room, an inflamed and numb body, and a series of tubes running in her was a constant day in and day out, it became the standard. You can get used to the pain.

You just never get used to getting used to it.

Victoria felt liquid seep down her throat into her lunges and she coughed hoarsely. It drew the attention of Visas and she was by her side quickly. "Shall I call Ashley back?"

-No.- Victoria returned through the Miraluka Network. -I need her by my son's side. I need a conduit to him.-

"Understood, Mistress."

-Up the medication.- Victoria ordered suddenly, earning a deep frown from the other.

"You're already twice over the danger threshold, Mistress."

Victoria nudged her mind gently. -Yes, but if I am going to act as a conduit for a council meeting, I will need more.- Visas was never her attendant, it was always Ashley. Ashley understood her needs, Visas did not.

"Understood." Visas responded respectfully. He passed her hand over the bumps on the medication bottles to read the Braille text. "Which do you require?"

-Levoamphetamine and dextroamphetamine.-

"Uh." Visas hesitated. "Wow, I don't think I can spell that. Now I know for certain Sis is a nerd."

Victoria chuckled in her mind. -Was that a joke?-

"No."

Victoria laughed in the bond. -That makes it all the funnier. You are in a particularly good mood lately.-

Visas ignored her, but blushed slightly. She felt the woman smirking in her head. She wasn't about to say it out loud, but she did feel better. Something about getting Galen/Varus back had boosted her spirit just a bit. Maybe it was because she still remembered torturing him as a child after babysitting him, or maybe because she finally had someone in arm's reach she could talk to that would understand what she went through under Nihilus. Of course, Galen/Varus doesn't much like her right now, but she was fine with baby steps.

Victoria watched the woman take the drugs, siphon them into shots, and pour a measured dose into a tube leading into her arm. -I am going to quiver a lot, so don't be frightened.-

"Yes, ma'am."

Victoria felt the liquid boil in her artery all the way up into her brain, and then everything was set ablaze. Every cell sparked in activity and she knew for certain her brain was going into overdrive. The average human brain works at only about ten percent of it's maximum capacity, and twelve percent for Force user's. She didn't know how much she was using exactly, but it was definitely higher. She heard Visas scream briefly in shock as her body went completely rigged before relaxing again.

Then she entered the Network.

The Miraluka Network was the handiwork of hundreds of years of work experimenting with the Force bonds that existed between them. A bond between two was easy to craft, to the point of being natural. A between every member of a small group of four or five took some concentration. The Network was a web of bonds existing between every single Miraluka to have been formally accepted into it. Two million nodes connected together resulting in four trillion threads and bonds interwoven.

At the base level it offered little more than comfort and the knowledge that you were never alone, that you had a family out there. Every Miraluka felt the presence of others when nodes were close or in large clusters. When bonds were healthy and whole, they offered substantial emotional support, as other's felt your emotions and you felt theirs in turn. Acceptance was easy when other people understood you to your core. It wasn't so specific as to show your actions, but you could feel when others were scared or filled with resolve. When the bonds were strong and focused, they offered sensory sharing such as hearing each other's thoughts and sharing their Force-Sight.

The Network was both a hive mind and proof of individuality. It was the greatest achievement of their people, and the most treasured trait of their kind. No one outside the Miraluka blood has ever been accepted, short of a few marriages in history that could be counted off one's fingers, but even then those outsiders could never experience it the way a Miraluka could. It was built into their genetic makeup. It was a part of who they are.

Victoria remembered the Network for what it was, and felt it for what it was now. It was weak and frayed. The bonds were barely holding, and in a number of areas already falling apart. She was not a Keeper. She could not manipulate it or strengthen it. Even now, with her brain working at dangerous levels, she could barely strengthen the bond between her and the rest of the council enough for a group session.

She released a gasp and loosened her focus a bit as she felt the bonds strengthen just enough to do what was needed. In turn, she felt hundreds of minds touch her own, as well as each other; and she could pick each one of them out. She couldn't recall their names, necessarily, but each person felt different, yet they merged together smoothly.

The only way to explain to a non-Miraluka would be to compare it to a jar of sand, where very particle is a different color.

Every person on the council was a ship-master, and they recognized each other by the size of their crew and population. She, technically, held none. She was the Mistress, the late Keeper's widow, the steward queen. That position held her a special place where the only one who rivaled her was Rebhorn, Admiral of the fleet and Captain of the _Fleet Mother_.

A wave of thoughts swept around in greeting between them all. Expressions of concern was shared over the sudden meeting, fear of the chasing Dominion, and curiosity of the success of the mission. The whole fleet insisted on being present on the rescue of the Keeper. They had resolved to do what was necessary, but were relieved it didn't require it in the end.

As the one to call the meeting so suddenly, Victoria raised her presence and spoke clearly, -There are a number of issues to be brought before the council. This is not a session where we must decide on matters, but where everyone is to be brought up to date on what has transpired. The first is on the condition of my son.-

-The Keeper?- A number of them asked expectantly.

-Correct.-

A wave of excitement and emotion moved around them, and it didn't miss her attention that Rebhorn was withholding his opinion already on him. The Admiral's first encounter was probably less than appealing. Still, not wanting to tarnish the good mood, the Mistress expressed warm smiles with the collective and appreciation for their empathic pleasure.

-Galen Marek, going by the name Varus Wynn, is alive and well.- She allowed, barely withholding a motherly squeal. -He is a proud man of twenty-four. He has a number of friends with him. They were all slaves at the time, but what we do with them will ultimately be up to myself and Rebhorn.-

-If I may interject.- Rebhorn said.

-Go ahead.-

-I have already forwarded to them the deal the council is offering. I have received back word that all of them have accepted the deal to become private mercenaries until they pay back the cost of rescuing them or until we feel the combination of their community service, past slavery, and time in prison is equal to the crimes placed on them. With the exception of Varus. He has yet to accept.-

-That will be a substantial pay in the end.- A voice said.

-They will do substantial missions.- Rebhorn responded matter-of-factly. -Varus also once by the name Starkiller, who, as a Sith, has a revealed reputation of being able to accomplish missions alone that leaves the elite in the dust, usually via large explosions and making as much noise as possible while leaving no witnesses. If this council chooses the appropriate missions worthy of someone of such power, it will not take long to earn back in cost what we have paid.- Rebhorn's emotion was slightly prejudiced against Varus, being why he went so far as to insult him by referring to him as a Sith before a political council, but none doubted what he said. Murmurs rose.

-He may have once been a Sith.- Victoria said. -But that is the very crime he is paying. This council will do well to remember that.-

-Of course, my apologies, Mistress.- Rebhorn bowed in her mind. -I find myself biased against him. First impressions were not pleasant.-

Victoria knew better. -It's more than that. You doubt him.-

-I doubt his worth.- He allowed. -It is a matter of perspective if the life of a single Keeper, a single man, is worth the life of the entire fleet. I stand from the perspective of protecting us all and measuring the risk as cost versus the gain, while you stand as his mother and as one who remembers well what value a Keeper has toward the Network. I do not remember it, Mistress, and I am of the opinion that if we have lasted this long without it, we can live another day without it, while you are of the opinion that we will not be restored to what we are truly meant to be without a true Keeper. I am merely cautious of putting too much value on him so soon.-

Rarely hearing him say something like that out loud, Victoria settled. There was no doubt of who they were deep down, not in the Network. They both wanted what was best. He was not an enemy, nor was he a 'yes-man'; he was another perspective.

Still, it rubbed her the wrong way for him to go about and say that out loud to the council, even if she had called him out on it and pushed him. She would need to have a talk with him later, in private.

Victoria continued for everyone to hear her thoughts. -The mission was a success, ultimately, but Varus has shown… resistance to us. His time with The Destroyer left him emotionally scarred and beyond hope. The possibility of me being his mother has brought up old wounds and I am uncertain how he will respond. At the end of our meeting he has shown himself to be amazingly neutral to the situation, while expressing a desire to not hope, yet also being open minded if presented proof."

Rebhorn said privately, -More mature that I expected.-

-I think you rubbed off on him the wrong way was your problem.- She smirked.

He grunted in amused aggravation.

The news went well with the council, albeit with mixed results. Some found it curious he did not become an emotional fruitcake, others wondered whether or not he was even capable of emotion, and the rest were either pleased or hopeful. They recognized it as a step in the right direction, at the very least.

Rebhorn commented publicly, -His standing toward you is a personal matter, and shall be handled as such by the council. Whatever mother and son relationship there will be is not for us to delve into nor get involved with. Until Varus or Galen agrees to a deal, the matter cannot progress, and I say is put on hold for now.-

-Agreed.- Victoria said, -I will keep the Council informed as the matter develops.- She signaled to Rebhorn to move on to the next matter.

-The second dilemma is the Dominion. Right now, the Nomadic Fleet is in Warp to the Neutral Zone. We will cross the line in a few hours, but we are being chased by a Dominion fleet with a Dreadnaught, a battleship, two cruisers, and a hundred Corvettes, all loaded with fighters. With only our fleet being made up of five-percent military vessels, we do not stand a chance. They are minutes behind us. They will be on us as soon as we drop out of Warp.-

-How could you let this happen?!- A voice yelled.

-What kind of Admiral are you!-

-What are we going to do?!-

-WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!-

-ENOUGH!- Rebhorn roared. -We knew the risks, I laid it out for everyone plainly. You should have considered this already, so you can't lay blame, and if you didn't consider the risk, even after I explained it, then you're incompetent and unworthy of being on this council!-

Victoria felt him seethe in rage. He didn't mind looking like the bad guy, but he had little patience for what he saw as incompetence. For once, Victoria had to agree whole-heartedly with him. They knew the risks. Now it was time to accept them.

-Now which is it!?- Rebhorn demanded of them all. -Are you going to cry over something a decision each of you chose and voted on, or are you going to stand by them?-

The council quieted. Victoria spoke up, -We cannot engage them in combat. What are our options?-

-Warp travel is not a problem. Our fuel will not deplete anytime soon, but we will need to drop out of Warp in order to change direction, otherwise, we will run into the Clans territory tomorrow. But at the same time, dropping out of Warp will leave us open.-

Another voice said, -We will need to take time to reposition and initiate Warp again. Time enough for the Dominion to come in firing or releasing an anti-Warp field.-

-Exactly.- Rebhorn concluded. -Our options, as grim as they are, are these: Having a large ship come out of Warp early as bait, buying time for the rest of the Fleet to exit, change direction, and re-enter Warp. With our numbers, we can scatter and regroup and lose them in the process with minimal losses. The second option is to have an infiltration squad enter the Warp-dimension, enter the Dominion Fleet, and sabotage them.- Rebhorn allowed his grim composure to be felt openly. The odds of the second one working was staggeringly low, while the first meant losing a lot of lives and resources. Out of the whole Nomadic Fleet, the only ship that could possibly be bait enough to keep the rest of the Fleet form being chased, was the Mother Ship. -I am open to suggestions.-

A few captions spoke up, -We offer our ships as bait.-

-Even if the Dominion bites, you won't last long enough.-

-That's not the plan. We will evacuate everyone, load our ships in explosives, and sabotage them. Without shields, the Dominion will be unable to enter Warp again.-

Murmurs swept over them all, and Victoria's composure became downcast. Even this option did not sit well with her. Rebhorn, being the Admiral, was in charge of military affairs, and would ultimately be given emergency powers to decide what actions would be taken when battle breaks out, but she knew that he disliked even this option. However, Rebhorn was a calculating man.

-Thank you. I will take your suggestion into consideration, but it has not come to that. It will be several hours before we might have to take any drastic measures.- Rebhorn appeased them. -So this matter is ultimately on hold as well.-

Victoria looked out over the rest of them. -Is there anything of note to bring before the council?-

A number of individuals spoke up with a few concerns from materials for ship repairs, a need for more raw precious metals to make into currency with the rapidly growing population as well as a lack of banks to regulate the currency, and other concerns for diminishing supplies in all areas. Water could be recycled and cleaned only so many times before they would need to dump it and resupply with more ice pockets, and same with air, but most of all they needed ships. The population was growing too fast for how little space they had.

-We could establish another seed colony.- Victoria offered. That always helped keep their local population low enough to keep from overrunning them.

-Our population is already sixty-five percent below twenty years old.- An elder argued. -We can't establish a colony of children.-

-No, but of families we can.- Another returned.

Victoria spoke up, -Regardless of age, the least we can do is decide on a planet and put out the suggestion. If at least ten-thousand take it up, it can work. The more the better.-

Rebhorn argued, -These colonies require protection of troops we do not have. Most of the soldiers we already had were left behind on the last several colonies already. We have none left to spare. If we are going to do this, it will have to be a planet already having a native security force that can take them in.-

Victoria considered it a moment before agreeing. -Is there anything more?-

-Yes.- Someone said. She recognized the voice as belonging to one of her 'shadow' Seekers. -I picked up an transmission today being sent out. I do not know who it was from, or who it was sent to, nor its contents, but I will. It was sent from a public terminal. I will appraise you with my progress.-

-And this transmission is a concern of yours how?- Someone asked.

-It was encrypted heavily. Why hide something if you have nothing to hide?-

-Please keep us appraised on this.- Rebhorn said.

Victoria waited a moment before saying, -The rest of your concerns are noted and will be addressed in time.- With that, she released the Network bonds and returned her awareness to her own surroundings. Her face was covered in some liquid. She gasped briefly as she recognized the metal taste of her own blood pouring out of her nose.

"You're bleeding out of your nose, Mistress." Visas dabbed her face with a wet cloth and stuck wads of paper up her nose. "If you had not stopped what you were doing just now, I would have considered forcing you out of it."

She did feel weak. The brief blood loss, exhaustion of holding such a large meeting within the Network, and being a cripple was catching up to her all at once. She closed her eyes and felt like the artificial gravity alone was going to squash her into a pancake. Her fingers were too heavy to lift and she felt that she should turn her head, as even holding it in this position was too heavy. -Well… I'm not a… Keeper.- She whispered before passing out.


	12. Ep02 - Freedom for a Price Part 2 of 3

**Note: **

**Okay, the entirity of this part is Varus. I wanted to flesh out some of his relationships and perception more after so long. It's been five years. He has done some growing up, but he still has things to work out, esspecially after hearing 'your mother' last time.**

**So let's get this show on the road!**

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**Remember to Review. I want to know what you think and how the chapter is to you. Is it good? Is it bad? Anything I need to know? Any ideas or things you want to see in the future?**

* * *

**Episode 2 - Freedom for a Price Part 2/3**

* * *

I used to love dreaming. They would be weird things like bears on hovercrafts chasing me because I slept in their bed or snakes that worked in jazz bands. I was a kid at the time. After I met Nihilus, my dreams took a morbidly dark and bloody turn for years.

For the next twenty years the only dream I liked were the empty ones. I would lay down, dream of nothingness, and wake up as if I never laid down. The days became seamless. Those were the good dreams, when I had none. After I lost my memory the dreams returned. I dreamed of stupid and weird things or I would have visions of my past that I wasn't completely sure about at the time. After I remembered and found myself in prison, the empty dreams returned.

My nightmares were left to my days, except today.

_I walk down a street deep in the under-city of Coruscant. Nihilus is by my side. We are both wearing robes covering every feature of ourselves, so no one knows it's us. Nihilus is wearing a male host he picked up early on. There are no Jedi down here. This is the first time Nihilus has taken me off the Ravager. I wish I could say I found it… pleasant, but his ominous presence siphons what joy can take out of it._

_He murdered my father, my mother, my family! I'm going to kill him. I can't yet, but I am counting the days._

_"Look around you, Galen." Nihilus says with the man's voice. "Drug addicts. Gangs. Harlots. Slaves. Sex, slave, and drug traffickers. Murderers. Serial killers. Con artists. Thieves. Beggars. And the occasional cop."_

_"Good." I mutter._

_"Ah! But the cops are bought. They won't lift a finger. While the Senate lives in golden palaces they always look outward toward other planet's and their problems, never inward to the very heart of their own society. Would you like to know why?"_

_I say nothing. Nihilus likes to talk when he gets in the preaching mood. He was an intellectual in life and will admit that one of the few pleasures I offer for him is a listening ear._

_"Because the heart of all men is black." Nihilus answers his own question. "It is always about themselves. Love is about satisfying your own desire to be needed by addicting yourself to another. Hatred is a need to remove obstacles of all sorts and sizes, and revenge is obvious."_

_"Justice is selfless." I answer._

_"Ah, yes… Justice. A system of sitting in ignorance while you let other's clean up the streets for you provided you throw money at them."_

_"The greater good then." I am not about to let him win._

_"Who's greater good?" He asks. "Everyone's greater good is only a reflection of themselves. The only one who can decide greater good is someone who is both good and a deity. There are no good mortals, it is a paradox. We all sin at some point. Any man can try to craft a 'greater good' that is good, but it will always be flawed, because the mortals who make it will be flawed just as much."_

_"What is your point then?" I ask._

_"The difference between the politicians and the people down here they ignore is resolve. Politicians cannot and will not do what is necessary because it is political suicide, and down here, with people like this, resolve to do what you need to do is everything."_

_He turns on me and steps in my way. His full presence bears down on me through the man's eyes. "Do you have the resolve to do what you need to do?"_

_"I will enjoy making you suffer." I hiss defiantly. "When it's time."_

_"I don't feel pain." He answers matter-of-factly._

_"Of course you do." I answer. "You may not when you're a specter, but right now your flesh and blood like me. You have nerves and pain receptors."_

_He nods. "A very astute theory. But wrong." He takes a nail off the ground and slowly inserts it into his finger just under the finger nail. He doesn't flinch. After driving and twisting the nail all the way in, he takes a knife and drives it under his thumb nail._

_The blood pouring off his fingers sickens me. "Okay, I get it!"_

_He chuckles. "You're squeamish, Galen, you get sick at the sight of blood. For that, you will never have the resolve to kill me."_

_"Yes, I will!"_

_"You sure? This isn't about hurting me, Galen, it's about killing me. Do you have what it takes to end a life?"_

_"Yes!" I yell. I will kill him. It is what I have devoted my life to._

_He presents the bloody knife to me. "Then prove it."_

_What? He… right now? He can't be serious! We're in public and… I'm hesitating. This is Nihilus! But Nihilus is wearing the body of another man. He's hiding behind that face daring me to kill him. Can I really? No, no… It doesn't matter. These people here are criminals who should be on death row. He's probably a former gang member with plenty of blood on his hands, if the muscles and tattoos are any clue._

_Nihilus is flesh and blood right now. He can be killed!_

_I take the knife in my hands and he watches me closely. I feel his gaze on me. I feel other people watching me, even though no one is actually looking at me._

_"Galen, what are you waiting f-?" He stops as a knife cuts his jugular. _

_I wonder who's knife did that. I didn't see… My knife has blood running down it! Oh! I did it! Nihilus reaches up to grab his neck and I find myself savoring the expression on his face. Surprise. He underestimated me. He truly did not believe I could do it, that I would do it! _

_I exterminated the evil!_

_Nihilus falls to the floor and suddenly eyes fall on me. The knife in my hands shake and feel scouring hot, and I realize how compromising this looks._

_I run for it._

_Hours later I manage to steal my way into someone's home. The place is empty and no one will find me here. There's a holographic television to the side and a couch. I collapse on the couch._

_I did it. I killed Nihilus. I'm not sure why I thought it was such a big deal. It was easy, almost second nature. The flesh was soft and the knife was sharp. It wasn't any different from cutting butter. The feeling after having killed him isn't what I expected either. I was afraid of being caught, but I don't feel fear in general. I don't feel paranoia or hunger and I can't say I'm all the sleepy. It… it feels like it was just another part of the day._

_Really, all I feel is shame. Shame that I won't get to train anymore. Shame that I won't get to destroy more PROXY droids. It's a shame no one will ever know or acknowledge what I did. _

_It's a shame I'll never have his tacos again, Nihilus made good tacos. Probably one of his only redeeming qualities. Shame I also won't get my hair cut for a while until I find a barber. Nihilus was always obsessed about my hair length. _

_I lay on the owner's couch for a while staring at the ceiling. Suddenly my datapad rings and I recognize the voice on the other end. Nihilus. "You're still alive?!" I hiss. How can he be alive?! I saw the life leave his eyes! He was flesh and blood for the first time since I've known him! HE HAD A BEATING HEART!_

_"Turn on the news." He orders and tells me what channel._

_I growl and do it. I'm curious what's so importan- "Former Police Academy Instructor Huatt was found dead tonight on the streets of sector 3451." There's pictures of where I killed Nihilus. The man Nihilus wore appears on a picture standing in uniform. Bile rises in my throat, but the news lady continues on, "Huatt worked at the Acadamy in his early life and ran a bar offering ninety-percent discounts to security forces and soldiers after he retired."_

_I can only sit in shock and watch in dumb horror. My hand shakes over the datapad near my ear and I barely hear anything. On the holographic image appears the man being loaded into a body bag with a younger woman crying and screaming over him and a little girl wearing a little sports cap and cute hoody balling her eyes out. "Father was a great man." The woman barely manages to say between sobs. "Please, if anyone knows the man who… who…" She can't even say it._

_The little girl just simply screams, "Why kill my grandpa! I WANT GRANDPA BACK!" Tears run down her chin and her snot runs into her mouth, but she's too busy trying to mop up her tears with a soaking wet sleeve that is twice the size of her arm to notice the taste of snot. "Why did someone kill grandpa! Grandpa was a good man…"_

_I turn the device off just before my stomach contents decide to come up for a landing._

_After several minutes of dumbly staring in wide eyed shock at the gloopy mess that once made up my lunch, I realize the tears running down my face. My hands feel like they're on fire… My sense of touch is so extreme I just want to cut them off. These hands aren't worth having._

_Dumbly I barely remember the datapad. It's still on. Nihilus!_

_I pick it up and try to speak, but my voice is too shaky. I cough against the burning acid left in my esophagus. "H-he… wasn't a gang member?"_

_"Who told you he was?" Nihilus wonders. "Did you assume he was because of a tattoo? So everyone without tattoos are good now? Pity about the man. He was a bright star in this dark cesspool."_

_"YOU BASTARD!" I yell. I throw the datapad away. Coincidentally it lands on the couch._

_Distantly I hear his voice, "You did well, Galen. Much better than I expected of you. Now is a time to celebrate."_

_"I DON'T WANT A COMPLIMENT FROM YOU! I DON'T WANT ANYTHING FROM YOU!"_

_Silence sweeps over me loudly in direct contrast to all the yelling at the pounding of my own heartbeat. I feel something tight in my chest and I squeeze against it. I hear a distant scream of that girl from the news in my head._

_"You now have what it takes to kill me. You're a murderer, Starkiller."_

I had forgotten why he named me Starkiller. I refused to remember this. He named me Starkiller so I would never forget my first murder, my first kill, the time I found the resolve to know what it takes to kill Nihilus. Even then I fought him, I forced myself to forget the reason behind my name.

I never wanted to hear that little girls screams that once mimicked my own those many years ago.

"Varus!"

Huh?

"UNCY VARUS!" A voice screams into my chest.

I open my ears and suddenly find myself with a tight fist curled around my side squeezing a handful of skin and a little girl suffocating in my arms.

SQUIRT!

I release her and jump away like she's on fire. She gasps for breathe. I sit up and realize how badly I'm shaking. My heart is pounding so hard my ribs hurt, my body is covered in cold sweat to the point the air feels like it's forty degrees, yet my body feels like it's reaching the boiling point. I don't know if I just 'embarrassed' myself or if it's just my sweat, but every single layer of clothing feels wet and sticky and the bed isn't that much better.

"I'm so sorry, Squirt." Is all I can manage to get out while trying not to pass out from a panic attack.

She just nods and lays there enjoying the little gift that is breathing. "You okay?" I ask.

She nods again, but the fear is there. It's a reflection of what she sees. If just looking at me is making her this frightened, it's probably best she doesn't sleep with me like she usually does to feel safe. Right now, I can't offer that. Her uncle or not, I cannot offer safety. I can't shake her nightmares. I can't offer her comfort or be her little guardian.

Before, I always gave her courage while leaving none for myself. I never needed courage as a slave. I just didn't care. I just made sure she was brave and happy and secure, and that Koj was the same. I watched over them just as much as they did me.

Now, I can't do that. I can't be her guardian angel when I'm too busy needing one of those myself.

"W-why don't y-you go find y-your father, Squirt." I manage to say while shaking. The coldness of my sweat seeps into my skin and my body temperature is lowering. My teeth chatter and I huddle against myself in the darkness to buy some warmth. "Sorry, but I-I can't fight the monsters off tonight." I don't know if its normal or if it's just her, but she refers to her nightmares as monsters. Sometimes they actually do have monsters and there are times I find amusement in how incredibly ridicules the monsters are when she describes them. Her imagination is as scary to grasp as my own.

"Alright." She yawns. She gets up and straightens her slave rags. First thing we are doing is getting her out of those and into something a little girl SHOULD be wearing! With unicorns, girl pirates, dancing elves, and exploding robot chipmunks.

She walks away, but stops momentarily to look back at me. She may think her emotions are elusive, but she's a kid. The worry is on every inch of her face down to her four-toed feet. I wave her off and she closes the door.

Leaving me to my own monsters. Yeah… I'm not getting any sleep today. I get up and strip the sheets off the bed. I don't know if I soiled them or not, but might as well not take any chances. The physical exertion is appealing. I dump the pile of sheets by the door and take the pillow cases off the pillows to be done as well. Same material, can be done together. The pillow case Squirt was snuggling with in her arms while she was in mine has faint wetness, tears. She was crying again.

The last thing she remembers is the fight and dead person shot right in front of her. I remember my first exposure to death. It was the same day I met Nihilus. I know my exposure was probably darker than hers, but the experience I had still makes it feel personal. My heart clenches for her. No amount of sleeping with me will defend her from this monster in her imagination. No amount of being around Koj and I while we convince her there isn't a baddy under her bed will do anything. Her mind is stained red just as my hands are.

I sigh and enter the bathroom. There's no mirror and no light switch. I leave the door cracked to have some light from the lamp provided to me. I strip out of my old slave clothes. A part of me misses the old ragged Starkiller ensemble, but another part doesn't. on one hand, it was a second skin. On the other, it was Starkiller's skin. Now I'm in slave clothes (or was a second ago). I need a new wardrobe along with Squirt and the others.

Maybe that will help cheer her up. Back as slaves I could never dote on Squirt like I wanted to. I remember father and mother would when I was a child, things like dolls and balloons before I got into action figures and mock-lightsabers I tried (and failed) to beat Visas with. I smile at the faint recollection. Odds are I could hand her butt to her now. But still, I wonder what Squirt would like.

I turn on the shower and step in once I got the clammy-wet scraps off. The handles aren't color coded, but I don't mind a cold shower. Beats no shower at all.

Ah… this feels good.

I doubt even Squirt knows what she would like. She first has to be exposed to the idea of wanting things before she can start to explore it. Koj is a great father and isn't clingy nor detached, but he also lacks understanding of concepts most father's have in my limited experience.

I remember bring up the idea of a teddy bear for her once, just as a posing note, and he had looked at me like I was insane. "Why would I give her a ferocious beast of the 'teddy' species?"

Being a Ghorfa, he scraped and fought for every ounce of water he drank on the wonderful summer vacation spot otherwise known as the Tatooine desert. He probably wouldn't know what a teddy bear or doll is. Or a cheap glasses with a mustache, he would think I've lost my mind

Oh, I have gotta do that one day! Maybe even stick it on him while he's sleeping.

I feel chills go down my front as the water becomes particularly icy and I scramble for at least some heat. After it gets somewhat hot, I glance around for soap. Don't they know that all hotels are supposed to have those cheap little bars of soap in cheesy blue paper? Individuality wrapped and everything. Where's their hospitality!?

Instead I find a pump. It's actually hand-soap, but it'll do. I get a ton in my hand and rub myself down under the water. My hand brushes over my scars and memories pop in my mind over each one. They absently remind me of Starkiller and how red my hands are.

The day I killed that grandfather and was named Starkiller is one of the few encounters where I earned no scar, yet it's the one I need the most. Guess its more of a scar over my heart than a phsyical one. I have other ones, mostly from training exercise with Nihilus and a few PROXY droids the Ravager was able to produce. I think he took a bit of the Star Forge technology in the ship to allow for regenerative security or training droids for me. Might also explain why the ship could make food out of thin air, and why it tasted like crap.

Other scars I got from killing Jedi. Mostly Masters. I remember now… I may have thought little about it at the time, but I rarely killed Padawans. I thought it was because they were too weak to warrant my time, but then the same could be said for all those nameless soldiers and eyewitnesses who were removed from the witness equation in my path. No, I didn't kill Padawans because… I don't know. No, I do know.

I wanted them to remember. I wanted them to never forget. I wanted someone to know I was guilty, to gain strength, to find me, and to end the guilt.

Just like Maris Brood did.

I sigh again and turn off the water. Maris Brood… I can see the faces of so many other Padawans as well, but she stands out because she is the only one to have been given a name and identity. She represents the sins of my past, and how I still haven't atoned.

Perhaps there will be another Maris Brood, another sin of my past given form to catch up to me.

If there is, will I welcome this faceless avenger? Will I resist?

I find a towel and rub myself down. My instincts tell me to look in the mirror. Stupid little normalcy's like that are hard to get away from. I'm always used to have a mirror in the bathroom, even the stupid broken one I shared with the other slaves. But that doesn't change anything. I know what I will see in the mirror. There are times I see Maris in the mirror, but that's just my guilt playing tricks on me.

What I really see is Galen Marek. Starkiller. Varus Wynn.

All three would welcome this avenger, but I can't be any of them. I have Squirt and Koj and… I have a bunch of idiots who rely on me. Why, I don't want to know. The sheer fact that they rely on me of all people speaks volumes for their sanity and intelligence.

But I can't have this avenger to catch up. I can't afford these nightmares and dreams. I can't let these scars hold me down.

I need to figure out what's going on. I have a lot of years to catch up on.

I step out of the bathroom with a purpose, then feel the draft. "Right!" I shiver. "Clothes first!"

But all I got is the slave crap! I check the closet and conveniently there is a small wardrobe of various sizes. Nice suits and crap. Do they expect me to be president of a company or something? How do you even put this crap on?

It takes about half an hour, but I manage to get the black pants, white shirt, and tuxedo thing on. I can't be bothered buttoning the thing and I would stab myself in the foot if I put that tie on. "I can't believe this is all this thing has…" It's a size too small.

I find my shoes… and stop.

I've been wearing those same shoes for years, as a slave. It's more or less been reduced to chewed up pieces of leather full of holes.

The other option is a set of really fancy black shoes, also a size too small, and so shiny I can see my reflection.

Oh, this is agony. I stick the shoes on and walk out.

Ignoring the whistle calls from the Stooges and the 'Well don't you look spiffy!' mock from Cupcake, I find Koj. He's sitting at a table with Squirt laying her head down on his lap and IT'S THAT HOT LADY!

What's she doing here?!

Koj and her look up at my approach and she looks slightly miffed. "I'm here to thank you, but with an attitude like that, I don't feel entirely welcome." Of course, my mouth runneth over.

"Sorry…" I sigh, again. I collapse next to Koj and stick my head in my hands. "I couldn't sleep. I feel like crap."

"What is crap supposed to feel like?" Koj wonders. Knowing him, he literally means 'what is a pile of cow poop supposed to feel like?'

"This." I answer. "Koj, dear old adoptive brother of mine-"

"I'm not old."

"-It's a phrase- I would pay you a credit to take the nearest fork and stab my head with it, repeatedly."

"Your head is worth ten billion credits, not one. So no." He answers off-handedly.

I chuckle darkly. "And who told you that? Her?"

"Yes."

I briefly hesitate. "Okay, that's just weird. No, wait, actually I'm… I'm… whatever the opposite of offended is." Wow, I can't think straight. I glance at the woman. "You really think I'm worth ten billion? I'm… oh! Flattered! That's the word." Hooray, for little victories.

She blushes slightly, which shouldn't be this cute! You can't have small, fragile, cute woman smiling in my presence! That's going to cause a tear in the universe! "You're welcome?"

"I do not believe her proclaiming your monetary value is her way of buying you for a date." Koj says entirely too flatly.

Which leaves her turning red and me momentary stunned. "Koj! I-I-I-I wasn't going to assume that!" Dang it Koj! Don't tease me unknowingly in front of someone I am trying to not embarrass myself in front of! I have a hard enough time with woman!

"Why not?"

"Be-because!" I turn away from him.

"I would."

The lady groans to herself. "This can't be happening!"

"Koj." I turn back to him. "You would date me for ten billion credits? Another man. Your sworn brother?" The lady turns even brighter red.

"I'd kill for it. I've killed for a lot less." He returns my bewilderment with facts.

I just stare at him gaping before wildering into a glare. "I don't know you anymore…"

He glances at the woman, and back to me. "Okay."

"YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE OKAY WITH THAT!"

"What would you like me to say?"

"Oh!" I shrug. "I don't know. How about 'No! Varus, please don't go! I'll never let you go!'"

"You got that off a cheap holovid."

"Yes, I did, the movie made me yawn and want to stab myself in the eyes before finally walking out in the middle of it, but the point is-"

"Gentlemen!" She manages to force out and we stop arguing. "I don't know where that started or how it derailed completely, but Koj'Ineh was being truthful. You really are worth ten billion credits."

I just stare at her a second while my brain tries to catch up with what she just said. Finally I hear a screeching sound as the hamster on a wheel hits the breaks, and I'm still clueless. All I know is what Koj said about buying me for a date. "Look…" I start. "I'm flattered, but-"

"I'm not asking you on a date!" She blurts out. Her head is still cradled in her hands like she is trying to resist a migraine. "You're on the wanted 'dead or alive' list for ten billion!"

"Oh." I glance at Koj. He glances at me. "Okay."

"You're not supposed to be okay with that!" She yells.

"Is this what you call… Deja Whoo?" Koj asks me.

"Deja vue." I correct him. "And yes." I turn back to her. "And yes, I am okay with that, because compared to half the crap I've lived with my entire life, being on the top ten most wanted list in the galaxy isn't that big of a leap."

"Galen!" She tries to argue. "It was the Mandalorian Clans that put it up! Now the Cartel is after you just to show them up and get the reward, half the galaxies bounty hunters are after you, and let's not forget how you apparently also ticked off the Dominion, and both Republics!"

"Oh…" Oh! Oh crap… That's a lot of people suddenly wanting me dead.

"Yeah! 'Oh…'!" She stresses.

"What did you do?" Koj asks.

I chuckle knowingly. "You want a list?"

"No, not really." He shrugs. Knowing him, he doesn't care about that. "What are you going to do?"

"We need supplies." She says. "Weapons, a ship, and so on. You contract needs to be instated. You need to get moving."

"Right!" I stand, actually I'm completely ignoring her. "Food, clothes, more food, and getting a surprise for Squirt. Care to come, Koj?"

The lady is flabbergasted. "You need to do something!"

"We are doing something." I argue. "We're getting food, clothes, more food, and-"

"About the Dominion chasing us and all this crap surrounding your wanted list! And get you blood tested to prove you're your mother's son, and-"

I'm already walking out the door. "One step at a time!" I yell back. I hear her bonk her head down on the table and Koj falls into step beside me with Squirt in his arms. I stick my finger in my ear. It itches. I still have water in my ears. "I think brown would make an excellent color for you."

"Hm…" He agrees.

"Black is more my style." I continue.

He glances at me. "The suit is very… extravagant." He tries to agree.

"Not this crap!" I shift it around uncomfortably. "This is uncomfortable. How can people wear suits!" It's just a simple men's suit, but it still does feel too formal for me.

Suddenly he is smiling and I can't help but wonder why. Ghorfa never smile. We descend the ramp and enter the Miraluka city. "Why are you smiling?" I wonder.

"The woman." He nods his head back in the direction of the ship. " Her name is Ashley Marr." Ah, Visas sister. "She has been assigned to us by this 'Mistress' as a go-between, and wants to thank you personally for 'listening' before and how your presence has already had an impact on her sister."

If by impact she means giving Visas a target to mess with? She's welcome.

"Assigned to us…" I repeat in wonder, before grinning like a madman. "She isn't going to last long."

"Exactly my thoughts." He smirks even wider.

But… what am I supposed to do? I'm uncomfortable around her… Ever since I got a headful of Revan and his love-sessions with Bastilla, which I am trying really hard not to remember, I have suddenly realized there is actually some purpose to female attractions, and I got a lot of exposure to male mentality in prison. Suffice to say I have a very messed up picture of woman, albeit a lot of it involving attraction on some level now, and a lack of general exposure leaves me flabbergasted in the short sessions I have.

Just don't think of her as someone who is of the female persuasion. She isn't small and cute! She's ugly! She's an ugly old hag who wants to make out with a huge wart on her nose!

Okay, wait, that just makes me want to throw up. Scrap that.

Okay, new plan: Think of her like the sun. Limit exposure and use sunglasses when looking directly at her, and NEVER actually look at her. Right, this'll be easy.

Also, assume nothing. Don't assume anything is a flirt or attempt at me. If I let myself get confused and start wondering about every stupid little female signal, I'll go nuts. One blink does not mean 'go' and two blinks does not mean 'stop'. Although if she ends up blinking too much, it means her eyes hurt from looking at me. But basically assume nothing. Let her take charge of whatever form the partnership takes, because my own inexperience will turn it all into a nut farm of madness and insanity.

"I'm going to need some sunglasses." I let him know offhandedly. He shrugs.

"We're buying on the Miraluka's tab anyway."

* * *

Rebhorn watched the holographic monitor. The water moved and flowed with the changing of the image. While most of the galaxy relies on holographic projectors that employ light fixtures, the Miraluka cannot see light. Their holovids and monitors for computer terminals have to be made out of real material, and the material has to move, flow, and change itself as the way of showing imagery.

A line appeared in the water and a number of small ships flew past it, and the ships behind the first group followed as well.

They were now in the neutral zone and the Dominion had not ended its chase.

"This does not bode well." Rebhorn muttered mostly to himself.

They had options, but after calculating the odds and risks, none of them were any good.

In fact, there was only one option, and it relied on a completely unknown variable. The Mistress was pushing for him to send Galen Marek out to stop the Dominion, but not only was he an unknown variable in terms of loyalty, but in strength as well. How can one man accomplish it?

The Admiral knew of Starkiller's reputation. The man was powerful, lethal, and explosive, in more ways than one. But an entire fleet?

"I am going to see the Keeper. Keep the fleet ahead of the Dominion." He ordered the crew and left the premises.

At the very least he could ask the Keeper if he would do it, and if he was capable. They had time for him to continue shuffling ideas around in his head.

The Admiral found the transport housing Garen and entered in. Seeing Ashley, he said, "Do you know where the Keeper is?" Expecting him to be nearby, Rebhorn was surprised to hear the man was away. "Away? Doesn't he know how serious the situation is?"

"He does, somewhat, but he has a peculiar way of dealing with it." She smiled apologetically.

* * *

"Tell me the truth Koj, does this make me look fat?"

"Yes."

I gape at him and look down at my clothes. It's a black robe hoody thing. It is big and poofy, but its robes! It's supposed to be like that! "You're not supposed to tell me that!"

"Then why did you ask?" He glances at some clothes and leaves them behind.

"Because it's the first thing that popped in my head…" I take the outer robe off and leave it back on the rack. "For a man who has never had much of an idea around choosing, you are really picky about what you wear."

"It's a matter of survival. Not looks."

Ah yes… The brown robes blended in on Tatooine sand. It makes sense, and it's not like we are going to have much of a chance of getting anything nice here. I think when the Miraluka lost their sense of sight they lost their sense of coloration. Everything is a mishmash of color. Orange on black in white mixed with a dose of green and some pink thrown in, and that's just the collar. Whoever in the world designed this had no idea what color thread he was using.

The fact that there are any clothes at all with singular colors is unique. They must be traded or designed by non-Miraluka.

After going through the third rack, I look over to find Koj has found himself a set of camouflage pants, three layers of shirts, and a camouflage hoody. "Now you just need a mask there, Koj." He picks up some brown gloves and checks the boots, but none are his size. As it is already, he will have to modify the gloves for his hand. "Try cutting off the finger tips." I advise him.

He looks between the gloves and me, before stuffing them in the bag.

I go through the fourth rack and don't even bother picking anything up. It's all crap. I am NOT wearing pink! Or yellow or red or green or blue, and most certainly not at once. This brings me to the final spot in the shop, a large box of clothes for sale. They are all used and sold to the shop by some people looking to empty their apartments.

I go through the clothes and hold a few up to see. This one has holes, this one is full of patches, blah blah blah, one after another, but my hand lands on one and it sparks something in me. It interests me and I pull it out.

It's a pure black leather jacket. Slightly old quality like it's been rubbed down a lot. It has a high collar that wraps around and snaps to a silver button, and the wrist collars are the same way. It's missing metal plating that I am used to, but those I can sow on. I made my old clothes partially by hand anyway.

On the back is a red emblem of a pillar of fire. The Marek house symbol.

I don't have anything to wear under it yet, but I will. Probably something in grey. I find a shirt and take off my slave shirt to replace it. With the jacket over it… It's like I was I slip it on. It fits snuggly. It's just my size…

This has me written all over it.

I walk over to the kid area to find Squirt still looking between the clothes, but she still hasn't decided on anything. "Here, let me help." I reach over her and glance at them. They are all bland and mismatched like the rest, but a few stand out as being something more along the lines of what I would expect.

She looks up at me. "That looks cool."

"Thanks, Squirt." I smile. I think the black leather works with me.

I pull one out and glance it over. I wish I could say what girls her age are supposed to be wearing, but I really have no idea in hindsight. My expectations are twenty-years behind the times, but I figure some pajama's with ponies on them is still 'in', and something cute the rest of the time. Why do so many of them have stupid phrases on them like 'I'm just that cute'. I find a pink dress thing, a butterfly shirt and shorts, and some really shoes that make me want to cringe will work. "Here, go try these on."

She looks at them skeptically, but takes them anyway to try on. It says a lot when a seven-year old girl thinks slave clothes are the norm.

She walks out wearing the pink dress. It's not formal, but the uncle in me wants to hug her to death while the man inside wants to cringe at the sight of the girliness in it. It probably doesn't help that her natural skin color is green, that her eyes each have two pupils, and her mouth is oval-shaped with lips that are capable of being both horizontal and vertical depending on what she feels. "Koj!" I call. "Get over here and tell Squirt what you think."

He walks over. "I think it's attroci-." I grab him by the mouth and he glares at me.

"Repeat after me: 'It is adorable.'" I whisper harshly.

In the same quiet tone he says, "Why? It's massive and… poofy. Completely impractical and an eyesore and it makes her hips look huge."

"I don't know, that's what girls are into. And it's a dress. It's going to open up more on the way down."

He continues glaring at me, but looks at his daughter when she walks out. She is really nervous and touching it like it itches. Being new it probably does. "So?" She wonders.

He glances at me. "It has achieved what it set out to do."

"It looks beautiful." I translate. "What do you think, Squirt?"

She shrugs. I smile and punch Koj in the arm for not being any help. "We'll take 'em."

I take our clothes, that we aren't wearing, and stick them in a bag. We take them to the front. The lady is surprised we are wearing the clothes we intend to buy, but I pull out an example of our slave clothes. It has oil stains over most of it and huge gaping holes in the back and arm pits. She gets the idea.

"What about your old clothes?"

"Burn them." Koj says. He finds a mask in a pile of hoodies and shows me. It is camouflage as well, but has holes that remind me of a skeleton's face. Teeth between the holes, the cheeks behind the teeth, and eye sockets.

"That is definitely you." Out of curiosity I look through the hats and masks as well on the wall. Most of them are junk, funny masks, I snag one that has a big nose and mustache for the sake of it, and my eyes land on the sport caps. There's one in Squirt's size.

The girl from my nightmare… It looks similar. The girl who's grandfather I killed.

Whatever purpose I have in mind, whether it be a need for reminders and guilt, because it might look good on her, or even the lack of a reason in my empty head, I pick it up and plop it down on Squirt's head. She growls in aggravation and scratches her head under it, but she doesn't take it off. It looks cute on her.

"I think that's everything." I say. "This place doesn't have shoes."

"Okay…" The lady at the cash register says.

"Yep and he's paying." I point back at him.

"It's on the Mistress' tab." He corrects me.

"Okay, take it up with her then."

"I will…" She looks between us. "Give me a moment." And she picks up a phone.

A minute later she let's us know its bought and payed for.

"What's next?" I ask Koj as we leave. Squirt skips down the steps and onto the street. The place is very condensed for a city, but it has the taste of one. Dirt, sidewalks, buildings, lights and everything. It is built from the ground up to look like a city built on a planet, and outside of the small scale and ceiling over our heads as the inner hull of the ship, it achieves that well.

"You said you were hungry."

"I'm hungry!" Squirt volunteers with an upraised hand.

"That settles it." I pat her on the head and she giggles. "Pick one, Squirt."

She picks one, and half an hour later we are eating. I already ate, so I just nibble while Squirt eats her own food and mine as well. She's a growing girl, that's for sure.

I feel Koj beside me tensing up, and he looks around a lot. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"The people are fearful. Something is going on."

I frown and put down my fork. "They did say the Dominion was chasing us from the slave ship. Do you think they are still on us?"

"Judging from the people's reaction, they are gaining."

"Great…" I groan. This ship is hardly battle ready, and the Dominion are what's left of the military side of the old Confederacy. They may lack the economic backing they need to be up to par with their past, hence their relations with the Cartel, but they are still a force to be trifled with, and the Nomadic Fleet is hardly capable of dealing with even a single Dominion fleet.

The Miraluka will be wiped out unless they do something.

"It is convenient for them that they have chosen to hire us as permanent exclusive mercenaries just when they need us most."

I scoff. "You make it sound like a conspiracy."

"I doubt they lured the Dominion into a chase just to exploit us, but they did not immediately come up with this deal just because they felt like it."

I chuckle. "Only you, Koj… Only you." But then… it makes sense. I may tease him for seeing conspiracies, but I wasn't the apprentice to a Sith Lord for nothing. I feel something too. He may be right. "So, fifty-fifty we will be thrown at the Dominion giving chase, or do some mission related to it." I smirk. "Sounds like fun. We will need some things."

"A ship and a crew, weapons, basic provisions."

"Crew won't be hard. Three Stooges may be idiots, and make me want to kill them every few seconds, but they can fly circles around aces. Together they could even give Tree-Hugger a run for his money. Cupcake is good manual labor and a powerful asset, provided he hates me and sleeps and eats so much."

"Then there is Ashley."

"Who?" I ask.

"Ashley Marr. The female we met earlier. She has been donated to us by the Mistress as a 'thank you' and to be close to you."

"I like her, she's nice." Squirt adds.

Dang it… this Mistress is insistent. She loves making things difficult for me… "Okay, I am not sure what she can do, but I'll leave that to you to find out."

"I'll just ask." Koj'Ineh shrugs.

"Yeah… weapons and such shouldn't be hard either. Cupcake and I are living weapons in our own right, and all you need is a steady long-range blaster. A lightsaber for me would come in handy, but if I can access the Force again, I won't need it. Then pistols for the Stooges will suffice."

"Which leaves your surgery…" He says.

"I am not looking forward to it." I agree.

Early on in my imprisonment of the Republic, I had implanted into my neck a device originally supported by Nihilus that he intended to use on the Jedi before they moved against him a bit earlier than he must have anticipated. It numbed a part of my brain that Sith and Jedi use to access the Force.

What they didn't know is that after having it in your body for years on end, day after day, you eventually get used to the frequency. I was able to use the Force again and intended to use it to escape slavery.

Then Squirt showed up in my life. Winy, crying, clingy, afraid, and all around annoying. She grew on me against my desire, and one day she nearly died. She suffocated in a puncture leak on an outfit and her heart stopped.

I could have used the Force to escape, as I had finally grown strong enough in secret to be at my full strength and control again, but I chose to save her life. I use lightning to start her heart up again.

They took me and tweaked the frequency to something I wasn't used to, thereby cutting me off from the Force again. I also might have caused a massive blackout by accident at the time. But I saved Squirt, was reunited with Koj, and was made brother by oath.

I'd say it was worth it, but now I need this thing out of me, and then I'll need some time to warm my Force-muscles, flex my brain a bit.

"How did you meeting with the Mistress go?" He asks.

I grimace. "Uh…." I look at him, but he is watching me patiently and attentively. Sometimes I really hate how serious he is. "It could have gone better."

"Explain."

I sigh. "Okay… my birth name is Galen Marek, I was abducted into service of Darth Nihilus when I was five and sacrificed my people to do it, or so I believed until I was a bit wiser to know it was outside my hands to begin with."

"I'm aware. You told me. What does this have to do with it?"

I hesitate, not sure how to say it, but then again, Koj is a lot like me in some ways. He is straight forward and factual. He is trying to lighten up, but he comes from a culture where every word, every action, every thought had to be perfect and intentional and serious, because nothing could be wasted. "She claims to be Victoria Marek. My mother."

He goes quiet, which isn't that big of a difference from how he usually is, but with more serious, thoughtful undertones. He brings his hands up together. "You don't believe it?"

I… "I don't know…" I admit. This is frustrating. I want to be able to hope, I want to be able to give it a chance, but I have twenty-years of nightmares, dashed hopes, and blood on my hands holding me back. "I saw my family die, Koj. I saw Nihilus pick up my father's skull and peer into it in insatiable curiosity."

"But you never saw your mother die…"

I cringe. "I… no. Mother…" My heart goes into my throat. It's hard to admit, but I need to let it out. If not for Koj, then for myself. It takes all my willpower to not let myself cry in public and say it with a straight face. "Mother was away at the time. I remember being upset that she wouldn't be around for the holiday like she promised."

"Then there is a chance."

"No." I deny. "That's the thing, Koj! It can't be. I know it can make sense, I know I saw the desperation!" And the way she looked at me. It was like she saw a baby boy and she was remembering it again. "I saw the… the scars. She looks so much like my mother." except my mother was so full of youth, energy, fire. She was the scariest living thing I had ever seen. She could even compete with Nihilus. This… cripple is like a wilted flower in comparison to a person who used to have all the spark, determination, and presence of a volcano.

"It can't be…" I repeat.

"I sympathize with your dilemma." He pats me on the shoulder. One of the gestures I've taught him to use. He's a bit stiff at it, but the few gestures he makes mean more. "But here is the way I see it."

I nod.

"What you don't have is resolution. As much as you may wish that distancing yourself and thinking on it will resolve that -and I know you enough to know you are considering it-, it won't. You want resolution? Get to know her. Be around her. Compare this woman to the woman you knew and see for yourself who she is. Stay skeptical and wary, but give her a chance."

"But… what if she isn't my mother?"

"Am I your brother, Varus?" Koj asks.

"Yes?"

"No." he shakes his head. "Am I your blood brother, Varus?"

"No…" I admit.

Squirt, who is being really quiet, walks around to stand by us and looks at me sadly. Probably shouldn't have said such depressing stuff in front of her. I really need to learn she is in the room despite how quiet she is! She takes that up right from her father! I swear!

You would think being around me so much would make her louder.

"I am your…? Your…?" She squints her eyes in thought.

"Niece."

"Yeah, that thing."

"Of course your my niece, Squirt." I hug her to me and look up at Koj. "And your my brother. Blood or not."

He nods. "Then you may find this woman may become a mother figure, even if she isn't by blood. And if she is, then all the better. At the very least, an ally."

"Yeah…" I say softly while Squirt hugs me to death. I hug her back one-armed and look down at nothing. Koj makes sense. He always makes sense. He has a very realistic, unbiased view of the universe. But even as much sense as he makes, the problem comes down to me. Can my heart take it? Can I dare to hope? "I can't promise anything, Koj."

"I wouldn't ask you to." He growls lightly. "Never promise anything."

Right, totally unbiased, in everything except promises.

Okay, my chest is starting to hurt from Squirt hugging me too tightly. "That's enough." I peel her off and gasp for air. "Thanks, Squirt, but this is too much sappy. I can only take it in small doses or I'm going to go insane."

"Fair enough." Koj nods and he moves on just like that.

Squirt, not so much. She has tears built up in her eyes and she looks like she is going to jump me again. "Fine…" I give her another quick hug and ensure she stops after a moment. Her food is done and what's left of mine is cold.

"Let's go. I feel another nap coming on." I get up. Koj agrees and Squirt is already at the door waiting for us. Kids are born capable of instant teleportation, I swear.

Years of being a slave working manual labor takes its toll. I haven't slept this much, or in beds this comfortable, in ages. Feels like I'm playing catchup.

We grab our clothes and head out to return to the ship.


	13. Ep02 - Freedom for a Price Part 3 of 3

**Note: I just had an idea for an epic scene for a much later episode. It's truly epic. Just finished writing the whole scene, and wanted to give ya a bit of a teaser.**

**(Teaser)**

_**"My entire life… I've been a coward." Igor said weakly. "I've run. I've run. And I've kept running. But there is a time when a man will not run from a fight… That time when his friend's horrors, dreams, and traumas are mocked…" Igor coughed up blood, but kept going when the Sith stayed curiously silent. "Varus won't lose to you! I know that he'll find his redemption… and… AND I WON'T LET YOU LAUGH AT THAT!" While he yelled, he raised the pistol.**_

**(End Teaser) **

**I don't know about the rest of you, but the scene gave me chills when I had the images and voices in my head. (Part of the reason my story is so visual is because I see it like a tv series or movie in my mind rather than as words.)**

**this chapter is really short, but I felt it was necessary.  
**

**So let's get this show on the road!**

**Beta read by:**

**If anyone else wants to be a beta reader or help me with the story, feel free to PM me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, so no sue!**

**Remember to Review. I want to know what you think and how the chapter is to you. Is it good? Is it bad? Anything I need to know? Any ideas or things you want to see in the future?**

* * *

**Episode 2 - Freedom for a Price Part 3/3**

* * *

We return to the ship we're currently staying at and Squirt runs off to go do whatever she does. Probably to play with the Stooges. Speaking of which.

"Hey!" Igor yelled gleefully. "What'd you get us?"

"Nothing." Koj answers flatly and I laugh at Igor's distraught expression.

"But-but-but!" He looks between me and the bag of what clothes we didn't feel like wearing out the door. "But!"

I sigh. "If you're so desperate for a change in wardrobe, go get some yourselves."

"Really?! We can?"

I scream inside my head, but say, "You idiots are perfectly semi-capable adults who can think for yourselves! You don't need my permission!"

Igor backs off fearfully at my rage, starts tearing up in gratitude, salutes me (DON'T SALUTE ME!), and runs off to grab his idiot friends. Swear to God I'm going to kill them!

"Can I go?" Squirt returns to ask.

"No! They're idiocy will rub off on you!"

"Aaaaww…"

"You can go." Koj usurps authority over her.

"Yeaaah!" She runs off.

Leaving me to glare at Koj. "You do realize we may wind up looking at Four Stooges one day because of you right?"

"It is not as bad as you presume."

"No… That's where your wrong." I see in my mind Rizzo, Igor, and Reeve standing there looking dumb, but now I see Squirt there too. The image sends a chill down my spine. "It's worse than anything you can ever imagine…"

We enter the lounge to find Cupcake was busy retailing Ashley with a tale of his youth when he was a strong and courageous little lizard. I don't know why she's smiling. The stories always make me yawn and think of ways to torment him. She also shouldn't be smiling… at him!

Wait a second… That doesn't even make sense. Okay, forget I said anything.

"Galen!" She sees me and jumps straight up, to the lizard's shocked disappointment as he was in midsentence. Ha! Serves him right! "Are you going to sit still long enough to let me speak this time?" She asks.

"Yeah, go ahead." I make sure to avoid eye-contact. She looks serious, and it looks attractive rather than just serious. Like she's chewing on a pencil or something in deep thought, and I don't even know where that comparison came from…

She's already messing with my head after seconds of exposure!

"Okay." She nods and starts going through a list in her head while counting off her fingers. "First off, there is a deal offered to you to employ you, and your friends, as private mercs for the Nomadic Fleet. You will answer directly to the council, and more specifically the Mistress or Fleet Admiral. This contract will stay while you complete missions until such time as you pay us back in full for what it is taking to rescue you. You will receive beginning pay to get you started off, as well as a ship and supplies, but it will only set your debt further back. Everyone has agreed, except you."

"Deal. Next." I say without second thought.

She taps her second finger, "I have lined up a doctor to give you a physical a week from now, and compare your D.N.A. with that of Victoria Marek's."

"Make it in the next two hours. I need surgery."

She stops in mid-thought. I can practically see the hamster wheel screeching to a halt and trying to change direction. Amazingly enough, she recovers in record speed. "For what?"

"I have a chip in the back of my neck. Really obvious and easy to find. I need it out before my first mission, which I get the feeling is today."

"You aren't far off from the truth." She presents the third finger. "Admiral Rebhorn hears good things of what you can do, despite your first impression with him-"

"BABY BACK RIB IS THE ADMIRAL?!" I blurt out. I thought he was just some measly old captain!

"And," she keeps going smoothly like I hadn't just interrupted her. "He wants you on standby in case you will be tasked with halting the Dominion's chase.

"Why do I have to answer to him?" I groan, mostly to myself. Gah! The man hates me! I may have caused it, but he still hates me! How do I end up in these positions?...

The fourth finger pops up. "The Mistress has requested that I be employed in your service as a secretary to the mercenary crew, and to act as a go-between for you and her. She and I have a strong Force Bond we have developed for years that will allow us to communicate and let her experience the world through my Force-Sight just as if she was here."

"Whoa…" Koj mutters. The first thing he said the whole time. I'm impressed, it takes a lot to put him in awe over anything. This guy can look into the center of a supernova and go 'meh'.

I kind of have to agree. Whoa. But still, a part of me is insulted and a part of me is… warmed. On one hand she is trying to worm her way into my life without my permission, AGAIN, and on the other hand, it does feel like a desperate mother who is trying to help, but she's still working her way into my life!

"Wait." I stop her from raising her fifth finger. "Hold up! I will take you on, but I don't want her spying on me through your eyes without my permission. I still don't know where I stand with her. Koj sucks at math, Squirt is a child, Cupcake can't be bothered, Nihilus wasn't big on teaching math, and don't even get me started on the Stooges. You may be the only one here with any mathematical skill, and… we kinda need that."

She hesitates in clear disbelief. "None of you can do mathematics?"

I shake my head.

"Reading?"

I wave my hand and shrug. "Meh… We can, except Koj. He only knows Basic verbally, and he still has time's its off."

"How have you all survived this long…?" She asks, almost afraid of the answer.

"We all were in prison and then slavery… I wouldn't say we managed a normal life." I frown apologetically. "So! Welcome, Cupcake is a romantic at heart who sees all males as rivals and females as sex objects-"

"Hey!" He barks loudly.

"Koj is a 'Spirit' zealot who doesn't like strangers and has a million cultural insults you can trip over, and don't mention swinging dead cats at them, he doesn't like that either."

"What?" Ashley blurts out in confusion. Yeah, she won't get it. Koj does a gesture he picked up from me. He rolls his eyes.

"Squirt is his daughter, and I'll be blunt and say: don't go near my niece until I know I can trust you."

"O…kay…" She says slowly.

"The Three stooges are idiots, best to be avoided lest it rub off. Then there's me. Haunted, reckless, sarcastic, and all around the formerly Sith Apprentice to Darth Nihilus, The Lord of Hunger."

She doesn't bother saying anything. She just looks at us in a way that leaves her inner thoughts wide open. It screams 'what has she gotten herself into!'

"Welcome to the group." Koj pats her on the shoulder and walks by to attend to his own business.

"Now what's the fifth thing?" I ask.

"Uh…." She just stares at me dumbly. I think her head turned off.

"The fifth thing?" I repeat slower.

"Right! I uh…" She gathers her thoughts again. "The ship is available but currently being supplied properly, and the armory has been informed of your imminent arrival. You have a limited loan, so you can't go crazy and get everything at once."

Dang, and I just know Cupcake will go for the biggest thing available. I would too if I could lift things like him. Of course, I have lightning and lightsabers, so ha! Sucks to be him!

"They expect you within the next twenty-four hours." She concludes.

"Okay…" I nod and think. "So you're my personal secretary?"

"Yes… sir."

"Don't call me 'sir'." I start off with. "Second, take the money loaned to us and figure out how much we should be spending on… various things."

"You mean a budget. That won't be hard… Galen."

"And call me Varus, not Galen. And good. I won't need much for weapons, just a pair of lightsabers and the surgery will be fine for me. The Stooges will need pistols, and Koj will want something for snipers and a pistol and… a nice sword. Whatever's left for weapons just leave for Cupcake. He'll go for the biggest thing his eyes land on."

"Alright."

I whisper. "Also, find a teddy bear."

She hesitates. "A… teddy bear."

"Yeah, but keep it as a surprise. No one is to know."

"Alright…" She says slowly. I think she is nearing the point where she can no longer take it. It's been less than five minutes from beginning to end of this conversation, and as much as we have covered, I'm surprised she hasn't collapsed yet. I'm just going along with it, it takes a lot to surprise me or get me worked up. She is just being bombarded with one surprise after another in various forms.

Five minutes as part of the group and she is already going to be contemplating suicide.

"Anything else?" I ask.

"Uh… sixth thing!" Dang, how many situations can she have in her head? "I've been tasked with teaching you of the Miraluka and eventually integrating you into the Network… When you feel ready." She says almost fearfully.

"When and IF I'm ever ready." I stress. "Which at this rate will be when Koj loses his faith in the Spirit or Squirt takes interest in boys AND I approve of them. Which… isn't going to happen. Anything else?"

She shakes her head. "Good. I'm going to take a nap." I walk by.

"Shall I let you know if anything comes up? Like that surgery?" She asks from behind.

"Let Koj know and he'll decide if it's worth interrupting my nightmares." I turn a corner and smirk as I hear a light groan release from her small body.

I think I should put up a betting pool on how long she is going to last. Surprisingly she has already lasted two sessions of a few minutes each of exposure without cracking. She's tougher than she looks.

Two hours later after restless sleep, remembering that first murder of mine, a cautious hand grips me and the next moment Koj and I are on the ground wrestling with my hand around his throat. He has his throat covered with his own hands, preventing me from choking him, so he isn't in danger, but the position still leaves me very scared and feeling awkward. I stand back up. "Koj?"

Dang it, I'm sweaty and shaking again, and my throat feels dry. I must have been yelling a lot.

"Your surgery has been lined up. It's been four hours." He says as though nothing happened just now.

Four?! "But… I said two hours." I say between deep breathes to calm my racing heart.

"We know, but considering it will be on your neck, even with the fleet council pushing you to the top of the list, the surgery-doctor-"

"Word is: surgeon."

"The surgeon," he corrects himself, "wanted to be sure everything was prepared. Are you prepared?"

I nod and take his hand to help him up. "Oh! Before I forget, make sure the doctor is prepared for lightning to be pulsing off of me as soon as I get in contact with the Force again, even while unconscious."

"I'll make sure he is aware." He says as we walk out. I grab my jacket on the way out.

The others are assembled and ready to leave as well. The stooges all went for a rogueish-pirate look, Cupcake couldn't be bothered buying clothes apparently, and the girls didn't need to at this point. Squirt is upset, holding back tears bravely, and the others are morbidly serious. Except Cupcake. He looks like this is about as serious as eating breakfast.

"Oh, lighten up! This isn't the first time I've had someone in my head!" Or neck. "You guys are going to make me think I'm going to my grave…" Koj smacks me over the back of the head and I growl lightly, but get the point. "Fine… I'm sorry… let's get this over with…"

Ashley shows us to the doctor and I am handed a datapad. It asks for personal information, and I take it back to sit down with the others. Most everyone chose to stay behind, except Koj, Igor, and Squirt. Of course, Ashley as well. So on second thought, most chose to come, but who's counting?

Koj is his normal calm self, Igor is offering unnecessarily loud support that makes me want to tell him to shut up, and Squirt is being unusually quiet. She is quiet to begin with, she gets it from her father, but she is very nervous. She grips her hands together and is avoiding looking at me. I glance from her to Koj, but he shrugs at my unspoken question. There could be a number of reasons why she is upset.

Of course, me going into surgery in general might be a scary proposition. I begin writing my information on the datapad and talk to Squirt in the meantime, "Squirt, listen, I'll be fine, okay? Surgery involves professionals in a clean room with very precise instruments. They have devoted years of their life, day and night, to doing things like this with as much chance of success as possible." She lowers her head away from me. "And let me tell you something, I lived my entire life under Nihilus. Almost every bone in my body has been broken, numerous times, because of him, and he was not even remotely careful. I've been electrocuted, had a dozen Jedi sticking their fat hands in my head and ripping it apart, been thrown around and cut on numerous occasions, almost suffocated on smoke more than few times, and been cut with lightsabers. Once, I had a ten foot butcher sword in my gut." She gasps. "Yet, I'm alive, Squirt. You really think a little butter knife is going to kill me?" I pat her on the head.

Oh great, now she's shaking and tearing up. Ashley glares at me, "You really have no idea how to reassure people, do you?"

"Hey! It makes sense! If a ten-foot butcher knife cleaving into my backbone through my stomach won't kill me, what are the odds of a two-millimeter butter knife being used by someone who WANTS me alive to kill me?"

"That's not the point…" She whispers harshly.

I groan and finish as much information as I can. I whisper back, "Fine, whatever. I tried. And no, 'reassurance' isn't that much my thing." I hand the datapad back to the nurse, and the words reform themselves on the screen into physical braille script he runs his finger over. That's neat.

Unfortunately I couldn't put much information down. I don't have an address, I don't know my allergies, and I am not yet ready to list down my parent's names. I know my father's name, but I am not yet comfortable listing 'Victoria'. And for my name… There are so many options they can take. Do I put down my birth name? The title of a Sith I am known by now? Or the name the Republic had me under? I figured Varus Wynn would do, if they can access my old records. It may be technically inaccurate on some things, but it will do until things are corrected.

"Varus Wynn?" The nurse returns. That was fast.

"Yes?"

"The doctor has been waiting for you. If you will follow me."

"Sure, gimme a second." I stand up and crouch in front of Squirt, who is still avoiding looking at me, and is shaking now. "Squirt, I'll be fine, okay? In a few hours, I'll be out causing all kinds of problems again. So chin up, okay?"

That doesn't seem to work, and I suppress the urge to sigh. Koj says from behind me, "For years, Varus has killed your demons. Now it is time he faces one of his. When he gets back, he will be stronger than ever."

"I wouldn't put it like that…" I mutter. Having this device in my neck isn't a nightmare of mine or anything that haunts me, it is just something that has kept me weak and suppressed. I actually don't really mind, since I got some family in return. But I don't say anything more, as Squirt seems somewhat reassured. Guess my trademark has always been the strength I give against her nightmares.

"Varus?"

"Yeah! I'm coming." I stand up and follow the nurse.

"GO GET 'EM, BOSS!" Igor yells. "KNOCK IT-"

"Will you shut up!" I yell back before the nurse closes the door behind us.

* * *

Ashley felt her eye twitch. For all of Galen's yelling to tell his friend to shut up, he was equally loud.

She had found Galen interesting, perhaps attractive, and it didn't hurt that she was very close to his family either; but then after his little nap he opened his mouth, and… yeah. Forget that. Now she wondered if these people were even sane.

She had originally speculated that Galen had some kind of inner strength that let him endure Nihilus so much longer than Visas and still be capable of jokes, but now it was obvious what he lost was his marbles. And pens. And maybe a bunch of erasers. He wasn't strong, he was broken, in lots of little pieces, each as loud and crazy as the next.

What had she gotten herself into…?

-You're son has a few screw's loose, my lady.- She whispered in her mind. In response the woman on the other end laughed.

-I can't wait to hear all about it.-

"Will Uncy Varus be alright?" The little girl wondered fearfully.

"Varus will be fine." Koj'Ineh repeated, for all the good that did. She still was nervous.

The tough part would come now. The surgery itself wouldn't start for another half-hour, due to final preparations and sending him under, and then the surgery and recovery would be another few hours. If the girl couldn't handle seeing Galen go through the doors already, she wouldn't be able to last the next several hours well.

Ash had seen a lot of things in her time, things she wanted to forget. She remembered sitting in a crowd of Miraluka wondering if her parents were alive, being in hospitals hearing the mourning and chaos as the people were coming to realize just how many of them were already dead or would never recover from the wounds Nihilus gave them. She hated being in hospitals, it felt like she was sitting in an almost… sacred ground. Here the border between life and death was at its thinnest, and something as small as a touch could give enough of a germ to push someone over the edge, or drag her down with them.

It was a respectful fear she developed from being around hospitals so much, and she saw the same signs in the little girl. This wasn't just a little girl fearing the unknown wondering if her uncle will come out with a second head, this was true, understanding, terror.

Wanting to be sure of what she thought she was seeing, Ash stood up and leaned against the wall near Koj. She whispered, "Squirt has seen death, hasn't she?"

Koj glanced at her out of the corner of his eye a moment before returning his wary gaze over the crowd. "Yes. How did you guess?"

"Call it a survivor's intuition."

"…"

"What happened?" Ash pressed gently.

"…" Koj gazed at her, measuring her, before coming to a conclusion and speaking, "When Varus originally met us, he opened my eyes to something. Our people were once highly developed and intelligent, and that we can be once again. I started a research expedition to help us learn from our forgotten ancestors."

"I don't see-"

"I'm getting to it." He interrupted patiently. "But the Hutt Cartel caught wind of it. For hundreds of generations, going as far back as our history can remember, we have been desert 'barbarians' and 'terrorists' struggling to survive with scraps in a home invaded by criminals and gangs. It has been a never ending guerrila war. Skirmishes all over the planet. The Cartel decided to finally stamp us out, completely."

Ash gasped quietly, but did not interrupt. She listened closely. She had never heard of Tatooine, nor could she imagine a life in a desert, but she understood the idea of a war of genocide.

"The Cartel came in droves and numbers never seen before, and in a matter of days accomplished what entire generations could not. They annihilated us down to the last man, woman, and child, sparing few. They claim it was because our children picked up guns to fight back, that they were part of the slaughter, but they refuse to acknowledge that even children have the understanding of survival when pushed back into a corner like we were. I have lived my entire life around death and survival in one form or another, and even I was barely prepared for what I witnessed that day."

His eyes turned on his daughter. "She had no experience to work from. I did not raise her to be a warrior, Outsider. I raised her to follow in my footsteps as a Far Seer. I hoped it would keep her from getting her hands stained like mine, but…" He sighed. "Her nightmares are of the death's she witnessed when she was only two or three. Varus and I almost managed to help her recover, but she saw someone else die in front of her as we were escaping slavery, and it seems to have not only reminded her of everything, but driven that particularly trauma further."

Ash looked to the girl and closed her watery eyes. His words drove home her own childhood. Twenty years ago the Miraluka had suffered the same thing. Whether one was worse or better, there was no contest, no need for comparison. They were both genocide. She realized that the little girl was just like where she was those years ago. It was like looking at herself.

Koj continued, "My crime is terrorism. That was why I was imprisoned and found guilty by the Cartel. What one may call terrorist, another calls rebel, and yet another calls hero. Such terms are little more than propaganda. I don't care if people see me as one, but I see it as cowardice to pin the same crime on a two-year old."

Ash opened her eyes in shock. "She was-?!" Koj nodded and Ash ground her teeth shut.

Her blood boiled within her veins and she felt the need to break something. Those slugs labeled a baby as a terrorist, and it's not like something like that can just be written off! Records are permanent. Even if Squirt finds a new life, that title, that 'crime' will follow her the rest of her life!

She was unaware of Koj's studying gaze on her, and his approval of what he saw. She was too busy seeing red, so to speak. Miraluka don't see color and something as precise as eye-color of the iris and cornea is beyond them.

"Can you see how Varus is doing?" Koj wondered an hour or so later. Ash shook her head. "Why not? The room laced in something your Spirit-sight cannot penetrate?"

"Spirit-sight… You mean Force sight?"

"hmm."

She chuckled. "Despite popular opinion we cannot see through dense material, such as walls or ray shielding."

Koj blinked in surprise as the information conflicted with what he knew. "But Visas-"

"-is an elite Seeker." She explained. "We are all born Force-Users, but comparing a simple citizen to an elite Seeker is like comparing a child with a water gun to a Mandalorian O.D.S.T. Visas has the focus, strength, and skill to be able to see through dense materials. Us simple people don't."

"Then how does a non-Miraluka fly?"

She winced at the thought for some reason and bit her lip apologetically. "I'm… sorry. That's classified."

He raised an eyebrow. "I… see. It is wise to be cautious. You do not need to answer."

"Thank you." She smiled.

Again, the minutes ticked by, and Igor took Squirt away to keep her occupied. In hindsight, he should have offered long ago, but their minds were elsewhere. Varus' surgery and the waiting was wearing down on them. It was all they could do to keep their mind from spiraling in a madness of what-if's and worry.

"I'm curious…" She posed a question. "How did you first meet Galen? I mean no offense, but you don't strike me as the desperate type to purposefully seek out… eccentric men for family."

"It was almost like he was a gift to us, from the Spirit. It was back on Tatooine. The Good Spirit lead me and my tribe to a crashed ship, and we pulled Galen and his team out. We set him up with our medicine man, and… I will admit that the first impression he gave us on waking has proven… accurate."

She laughed. "I can only imagine! Pity, I hadn't been there to see it. But… what made him different? You had to have met other aliens who you could have bonded with. I understand owing him for saving Cahjinawl," He blinked in surprise when she said the name correctly. "But… I don't know. You don't strike me as the shallow, desperate, giving-big-things-to-settle-a-debt type."

Koj didn't say anything for a while, and she left him to his thoughts. She didn't know Galen all that long, only long enough to get past the immediate attraction of having met a legend and realizing he's a loudmouth man with the maturity of a teenager. Koj'Ineh naturally knew the man better than she did. Making Galen either more shallow than she expected or deeper.

Finally, he said, "Because he is the first one I ever met who understood us. I tried to deny it, even said things with hurtful tones, but eventually I came to see it. He is alien to me. His character conflicts with mine more than he realizes. But he is more brother and kin than some of my own people. He understands people who have been pushed to the edge of their morality."

He turned to her with an insulted expression, "And I do settle my debts…"

"Heh… sure." She smirked, purposefully leaving his mind racing in confusion. Never let it be denied she picked up some of Visas's old quirks as a sibling should.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in the galaxy…

"BUGSH! BUGSH!" The recording said in Rizzo's voice. The recording went on to have the rest of what the device heard up until the point the recorder on the other end was crushed.

The planet was dark with a never ending sandstorm blowing lightly. It did not obscure their vision, but the sand blew across their feet and dirtied them. In the immediate vicinity around the device, listening, was three people. The first sat on a rock with a knee up to his chest he leaned against. His red eyes stood out in the darkness, and his young, thin frame made him look like a spider. He swung his other leg around impatiently while he listened. The second figure was a male of similar stature, but lacking red eyes and was filled out a bit more. His most peculiar feature was the crisp uniform that was unfortunately being ruined by the gentle winds. He kept his hands behind his back and listened intently. The third figure was much larger and was female. She looked ancient while the other two were youthful. She had red clothes with shoulder pads that extended out for miles and red ribbons coming off of her back that flowed in direct contrast to the winds. Her skin was a sickly grey, yet was tattooed in white or black paint in reminisce of a skeleton across her entire body. Her green eyes stood out, not for being green, but for how they shined with sick power much as the Sith's red eyes shined of hateful power.

As soon as the recording was over, the Sith grabbed out and smashed it with the air. The second figure sighed wistfully, "I do wish you wouldn't do that..."

"This was a waste of time!" He ignored the second one. His anger came off him in electric waves down his skin. "We'll never find 'him' this way! This changes nothing!"

"It changes everything." The second one corrected.

"Oh? How so?"

"Because the prodigal son has returned." The woman said. Her voice was otherworldly, almost an echo through multiple dimensions. "There is a new player on the field, but whether he is a foe or ally is yet to be seen."

"Well, good luck finding out. They're going to be extra cautious now. It complicates things." The second one reminisced.

"Oh, my dear Leland, you must think outside your little box. This gives us a distinct advantage." She cackled. The Sith smirked, the wish for violence and blood clear in his eyes.

"I'm listening."

"Now now!" She wagged a finger at him. "Let's not rush things. It is only fair the prodigal son be given this day, after all, he has to have been dreaming of this for so long."

"I doubt it." the Sith said.

"Perhaps, perhaps not, but you owe it to the Miraluka to have this day. Let's let them have it. I'm sure there are other things we can do in the meantime."


	14. Ep03 - Rise of the Ravager Part 1 of 5

**Note: This is going to be a super-long episode. I originally wanted to make one super-epic-freakishly-long episode to cover up to this point, but I had to split it up into multiple episodes and multiple parts to cover things properly. Now we get to the end of the beginning Arc and things start to truly gear into running into the storyline. The primary storyline won't actually begin until the next few episodes, but here we finish the "beginning" period.**

**This will be split into several chapters to cover the action properly.**

**Hands? HANDS!**

**Feet? FEET!**

**Butts? Right here!**

**OKAY! Hold on to your butts! This is going to be a bumpy ride!**

**Also, don't feel afraid to review and tell me your thoughts, guys. I enjoy hearing what people think, what ideas they have, what they want me to do in the future, and generally improving. I write for my enjoyment, but also for other people to enjoy as well. So if its bad, let me know so I can improve. If its good, let me know what you liked. I love hearing back from people. :)**

* * *

**Episode 3 - Rise of the Ravager Part 1/?**

* * *

**Summary:**

**Five years have passed. Varus was a slave for the Hutt Cartel with Koj'Ineh and his daughter, Crahjinawl'Ineh, and had a small group of friends and rivals at this side. Visas, as part of the Miraluka Nomadic Fleet, rescued them, freed them, returned them to the Fleet. **

**A deal has been offered to them to be exclusive mercs to pay back what they owe, and Varus has found the true reason they went so far to get him. The Mistress, hierarchy steward of the Miraluka, is Victoria Marek, his mother.**

**But the face of the galaxy has changed. What was once the Republic versus the Confederacy has become the Mandalorian Clans, United Systems Alliance, and New Republic versus the Hutt Cartel, Dominion, and Old Republic, and somehow Varus has landed smack dab in the middle as all six want him dead. Varus was witnessed to have been involved in a terrorist raid against the Duchess Satine, tried to assassinate Count Dookue, and has killed several isolated sects of Force-Users, yet Varus has been enslaved all this time. What's going on?**

**Regardless, Varus has landed a ten billion credit bounty and was chased by the Dominion. After agreeing to a Merc contract he underwent surgery to regain his Force powers.**

* * *

Admiral Rebhorn observed the water-projection as the computer generation 'statues' of ships moved. Two fleets, one ahead and one behind, and then two ships slowly moved out of the first fleet and drifted backwards. They were slowing down by the millionth of a unit, but going at Warp speed, that was perhaps too fast of a descelleratent. "Pull forwards slightly." He ordered.

Immediately the two ships drifting back out of the fleet sped up slightly, letting them drift back slower. The Dominion did not do anything about it. "Pull back." The ships descellerated faster. Within seconds they were just in front of the Dominion.

According to calculations the ships needs to be at a certain distance ahead, and were just a bit higher than that. Which was fine, it was more a minimum anyway. Rebhorn alerted for them to act, and moments later the two ships exploded. They were unmanned, but were filled with valuable resources to increase the blast.

The effect was immediate. Ships going at Warp cannot hit certain things without being torn apart in the collision, and exploding ships was one of them. A huge portion of the Dominion did not make it and exploded of their own accord or were torn apart.

Out of the enemy fleet, the dreadnaught was still intact. The rest either didn't make it or was negligable. Rebhorn cursed his luck. The dreadnaught was the key to all of this. They couldn't handle even of them, and it was still giving chase.

"How long until we reach the Clans border?"

"Twenty-three hours, admiral!"

Plenty of time. He had other options.

Rebhorn ran over options in his mind.

Crossing the border into the Mandalorian Clans was optional, albeit risky. After the stunt Varus pulled on the Duchess, and one that made him still wonder why the hell they were going out of their way for this brat, Mandalore wanted the man dead or alive. They could send Varus off on his own way with a portion of the fleet and have the Fleet Mother seek solitude with the Clans, but whether or not they would be accepted would be entirely up to Mandalore's mood and, by extension, the Duchess's mood. Mandalore wasn't a warmongerer like his predecessors, but he was very good at making his stance very clear on matters. The risk exceeded the gain.

They could turn around and fight, but they were just short of defenseless. the only damage the Nomadic Fleet could hope to do is precise suicide runs, or send a score of Keepers to infilitrate and sabatage the dreadnaught. Unfrtunately the Keepers were their only real line of defense, and that didn't warrant their use in an offensive manner. While the Keepers are off fighting, the Dominion would board the Fleet Mother and kill the Miraluka by the thousands, if not take the ship entirely. Stupidly risky idea.

The plan to exit Warp and split up in random locations before meeting up at a rendezvous point still sounded like the best option, but there was that time-gap to deal with where the Dominion would emit an anti-warp field. It was something dreadnaughts were notorious for, beyond their size.

But at the same time the range of the guns is limited... and can be blocked by objects. Like planets and moons and asteroids. They could buy time to sabotage the dreadnaught, and stay ahead of landing craft, by circling nearby planets and hiding behind moons. If they can shut off the anti-warp field or stop the dreadnaught entirely, they could make a clean escape.

The risk was how long it would take and how long they would be exposed to fire, and whether or not the Clans would send a fleet themselves with them being so close to the border... and the Keepers would be needed to defend the fleet.

Then there was Galen. The man had a reputation, and definitely earned. Just from what Rebhorn knew, Galen had killed dozens of Jedi Masters, thousands of soldiers, a space station, and that was just years ago. More recently he tried to kill Count Dooku, killed five Jedi Sects across the New Republic and United Systems Alliance, kidnapped the Clan Duchess while threatening to blow them up, and threatened the Old Republic. Rebhorn wasn't sure why Jabba the Hutt was joining the hunt for Galen, but knowing him, he insulted the slug at some point or the slug was after his substantial bounty. The man was worth ten billion credits, making his bounty the only one smaller than Nihilus with fifty-billion. You could buy an entire fleet for that.

They could sell Galen for the ten billion, but Rebhorn shivered at the thought of how furious his mother would be.

But still, how much of it was just reputation and how much of it was true? Because if it was true, then Galen's first mission to stop the Dreadnaught would be their best option. The only risk was one life. If Galen died, then all of their sacrifices would be for nothing. But if they lost the entire fleet to save him, Rebhorn would never be able to forgive the man. The risk was there and in balance. They had everything to lose and everything to gain. But this was the best calculated risk he could think of. It depended on the simple fact of whether or not Galen's reputation was true.

And if it was true, could he be trusted after everything he's done?

Rebhorn groaned into his hand. His head hurt from thinking.

Was it worth the risk to trust him?

This one time, yes, but he would have to watch the man closely and have pieces in position to move incase Galen showed himself to be as untrustworthy as he seemed. Visas and Ashley were already working their way in. Rebhorn would need to find a competent nurse to replace Ashley in Mrs. Marek's care, but that would be a simple order for his assistant to cover. Or Ashley would just find a replacement for herself.

Between Visas and Ashley, two pieces were in position, but he would need a lot more. More precautions would be needed for Galen, and his friends only made it worse. An ex-terrorist... mass murderer... hackers and smugglers... They were a dangerous bunch. The risk was already made in their rescue, but whether or not they could be trusted was another risk entirely.

He needed more data. This first mission would do nicely to test them.

* * *

I look up in the dark room and wonder what time it is. It feels like nighttime, but then again, we're in space. Why are the lights off?

Miraluka don't need light, right. That is mildly irritating.

I notice a faint stirring in a chair next to me and HOLY CRAP MY NECK HURTS! I suck in breathe painfully. Feels like I have whiplash, a stiff neck, and a knife all the way through to my bone all at the same time.

"You are awake." Koj says.

"No... I never noticed!" I bark. I groan painfully and ask, "How'd it go?"

"The surgeon says it was a complete success. You suffered a bit muscle damage and need to be taking it 'easy' for a while. Seems when you gained your power back, he had his tool in you and you mildly shocked him, causing him to flinch and nearly sever a neck muscle."

"I warned him that might happen."

"No number of warnings can keep people from being surprised when they're shocked, Varus."

Don't I know it? Lightning and fire are very reflexive powers to deal with. When your exposed to fire, you instinctively jump back. When your hit by electricity, your body straightens like a board. The fact that he didn't cut my neck muscles to begin with is a testament to the fact that he was prepared for something to happen.

The door opens and a person walks in. It's a man with a cloth over his eyes like a stereotypical Miraluka and his hands gliding over a braille datapad. "Hello, Varus. How are you feeling?"

"Like crap. How long until I can leave?"

"A few days."

I stare at him in disbelief without moving my head. "Days? We don't HAVE days! We're going to be either attacked or called to action soon."

"I'm sure it will be shortened. You were not supposed to have awoken for a long while, but your recovery is... unnatural as it is. You're mediclorian count is off the charts."

"And?" What does that have to do with anything?

"People with high levels of mediclorians heal unnaturally fast." He said simply. "Force-Users heal faster than they would otherwise, but even a Miraluka would take days to recover from a neck surgery. The device we removed was attached to a second device attached to your spinal cord. We had to remove them both."

That's a step further than I planned, but thanks. "So based on my own recovery rate, what are we talking?"

He blew air out of his mouth in a weird way of thinking, before scrunching his face and saying, "It would still take days, I'm sorry."

"I'm afraid we do not have days." Another voice said. I don't see them, but I can feel them. The one who speaks was deeply male, but the person with him feels familiar. It's a female, quiet, focused, alert, and with a touch of Nihilus. Visas.

But the voice I at least recognize, even if I don't see him. "Well if it isn't Ribs." I greet snarkily. "Come to rub in the fact that I can't look you in the eye from here?"

"Outside of your need to overcompensate your lack of subtlety and wanton rudeness," Did he just insult me? "There are pressing matters to be discussed."

"Oh?"

The man takes up a seat behind where I'm facing, but I can see from Koj's empty facial expression that he is watching them closely.

Visas, I don't mind. She annoys me, but it doesn't have dark undertones. Feels a bit like old times, outside of the clear effect Nihilus has had on our Force signatures. Her annoyance is purposeful and good natured.

This man is a bit snuffy, though.

"You're reputation as a Sith is staggering, Starkiller."

"Varus Wynn." Visas corrects him before I do. Point for her standing up for me.

"Apologies, Varus." He fixes it. "But the question that ultimately must be answered is whether or not you can meet the your inflated reputation. Can you?"

"Which part?" I ask heatedly. This guy is trying to tick me off. I don't have a political-law mind, and I don't have that big of a vocabulary, but something about his phrasing is ticking me off. "The part where I butchered forty Jedi-Masters, left a steady stream of bodies by the thousands, sent Republic and Confederate assault cruisers and dreadnaughts crashing down or colliding into each other or just simply exploding? How about the part where I was the secret apprentice assassin to Darth Nihilus?" A glass of water next to him implodes and water explodes. Electricity ripples on my skin, moves along the wires and pipes sticking out of me up to the machines. The machines emit a high pitch squeal before frying and exploding in smoke.

I manage to turn enough to see them. The room is dark due to no lights, but the lightning on my skin is enough to light up the room. Visas smirks and Ribs is mildly afraid. I can't see why. It's not like there's a ticked off former-Sith who can crush his skull like a tin can or electrocute everyone in the room, and all with his mind despite being in a hospital bed being pumped full of drugs.

Oh wait…

Visas wears a cheeky smile. "How about now?"

"I'm convinced." He concedes. "Varus-"

"Not another word." Koj finally says. "If you want to speak to us, it goes through the Marr sisters."

The man shuts his mouth and immediately grits it. My lips curl into a cheeky smile like Visas'. We could be identical twins right now. "What he said." I agree.

He has all the flair of a man of pride who has been slapped, but he takes it well. He nods. "Seeker Marr, I will be in touch."

"I'm sure." She returns.

He leaves, with his head high. As soon as the door shuts Koj says, "I don't like him." Yeah, I couldn't agree more. The man rubs me wrong.

"The amusement aside, he is one of the last people you two want to tick off." Visas warns us. "He is the second most powerful figure in the Miraluka, second only to the Keeper, and at the rate he is going, the Keeper will be dethroned."

Meaning me. "He's targeting me?" I ask. "I realize I have this thing for bad first-impressions, but-"

"No, no." She shakes her head. "He is the voice-piece of a growing group that think we no longer need a Keeper, that we are holding ourselves back to ancient history and need to move on."

"Wise." Koj says with grudging respect.

"He isn't out to kill you, Varus. Nor does he have an agenda on your mother. If anything, your mother and him respect each other. They have a respectful rivalry, but they also exist on very clear principles and beliefs. It's a political struggle between them over the future development of our reigning government."

"Struggles like that tend to cause bloodshed."

"No." She denies. "He may be gathering support to dethrone the Keeper line, but he truly wants what is best for the people. Victoria is too pacifist to spark a civil war if it came to that, and he goes out of his way to make sure she gets what she needs to live… I think they had an old passion, personally, but that's between them. But… my point is, don't make him feel threatened. He isn't going to lash out over an insult, but if he does not believe you are good for the Miraluka, he will remove you from us…" She hesitates and blushes slightly. "and I don't want that."

"Thanks." I smile. "But it's alright, Visas. I appreciate being relieved of slavery, and I want to pay you all back, but it won't be the end of the world for any of us if I have to walk away to keep from making trouble for… her." I can't say, mother. I just can't. "But where do you stand?"

"On?"

"The Keeper versus barbecue ribs issue. I realize 'our' situation hasn't been discussed." We were arranged for marriage as children. Too awkward to discuss, but still leaves me wondering where she stands. I have no intent to hold her to it, heck, I don't WANT to hold her to it, but if the memory leaves her feeling chained and resentful, that would be something else to weigh on my mind.

She snorts in amusement. "Sometimes, Varus…" She covers her mouth to hide the smile. Why does she do that? Afraid anyone is going to see she has emotion? "I'm a Seeker, Varus. I may have been your betrothed as a child-" Koj coughs in shock. "But that has no play in it. Your mother took care of my sister in my absence. Your father was a kind man, mistakes and all, and you somehow have endured exposure to Nihilus many times worse than me and walked away with your sanity intact." Really? She calls this sane? "I'm by your side, Varus. You're my Keeper."

"Thanks…" I smile. Feels nice having someone who knows the Miraluka-battleground having my back. With her, I won't have to tread as lightly. Not that I can tread lightly anyway. Things tend to explode when I'm around.

"Still…" The doctor spoke up. He has been standing to the side scared the entire time and worked up the nerve to speak again. "I cannot, in good conscious, release my patient until he is ready."

Visas turned on him, albeit patiently. "The council has a mission for Varus that will keep us all from dying and being destroyed."

"And he will lose all feeling below the neck, in the process. If he so much as trips he will sever his spine at the head, and lose the ability to expand his lungs or beat his heart!"

My eyes expand comically. I had never thought of that. "That doesn't sound good." I comment.

"What kind of mission are we talking about?" Koj asks.

I don't like his tone. He is too curious. He has something in mind.

Visas explains, "We are still in Warp and are running out of time, but we will stay in Warp as long as we can. There are infiltrator ships that, with the right touch, in theory, will allow you to stay in the same Warp lane when you leave the Fleet Mother. While in the same Lane, the mission is to fly into the enemy Dreadnaught and do one of two things. Either sabotage the shields so they are torn apart by the Warp winds, or stop their Warp drive. Destroying the shields also leaves risk of us dying before we can get off, while just disabling Warp leaves us the opportunity of escape and reuniting with the rest of the fleet."

"I prefer the second option." I add.

"If we use timed explosives, the first one will be more viable." Koj argues.

"Right, and droids aren't smart enough to see explosives and go 'hey… maybe we should remove this'?"

He shrugs. "There are explosives that are difficult to detect. If you recall, I am a Ghorfa."

"Yeah? And?"

"We did a fair share of sabotage on Cartel bases, Varus. I'm considered a terrorist remember?" He turns to Visas. "I'll do it."

"What?!" I blurt out. I struggle to lift myself, but the movement forces all the weight of my skull onto my neck, and I feel something snap. I collapse down again. Koj pats my shoulder while the doctor visibly pales in fright and anger, probably towards me. I just never learn.

"You sure you can manage? I will be joining you, but we were hoping Varus would do it." Visas asks him.

"I may not have Varus' gift of explosives, but he also lacks my ability for subtlety. I will be fine, so long as I get to lead the squad and pick its members."

She squeezes her lips together in a tight line, but nods. Koj pats me on the shoulder again, tells the doctor to take care of me, and walks out while I protest the whole time. I have never had nightmares like this before, where I lay in a bed useless while family goes to fight a battle that only I can do, but seeing it happen in front of my eyes is more horrifying and real than any nightmare I've had in a while.

"Visas!" I yell. She stops at the door. "If Koj dies…"

"He won't." She assures me and closes the door gently.

* * *

Koj analyzes the situation in his head while he walks back to the ship.

Varus is in bed. Varus may have the power to do things like this solo, but he needs to recover properly first. He will be fine in a few days.

Cahjinawl is a child and shouldn't be coming, so he needs someone he can trust to keep an eye on her while he's gone. Ashley Marr will make a good choice. She claimed to be 'less skilled' with the Spirit than her older sister, and… she struck him as someone he could trust. He had good instincts with people, and after learning a bit about her, he couldn't see her hurting his daughter. Also it would be good for Cahjinawl to have a mother figure of some kind since the real mother was dead. Whether or not he could trust Ashley for an extended period of time, he couldn't say. That's a question he would leave for another time.

Which left Visas, George, or Cracus as he preferred but was never actually called, and the Three Stooges.

Visas was a wild card. He couldn't say how strong she was, what her skill set was, or how trust worthy she was. She has clear loyalty toward Varus, but trust and loyalty are two separate things. You can be loyal but still not respect authority properly in practice. Still, there was a clear mission, and he could trust her to manage that much for the time being.

Cracus/George/Cupcake was less of a wild card and more of a monster. His desire to brawl and fight was one Koj could rely on in this instance, and Cracus didn't truly hate Varus. Dislike, sure, want to dethrone him as alpha, definitely, but not actually hate. If anything it was a kind of respected rivalry. Cracus' desire to defeat Varus was one born out of respect for Varus' strength. His need to beat Varus to death on a regular basis was just Varus getting on his nerves, and, if Koj was truly honest with himself, who didn't want to beat Varus?

Cracus would do well against the Confederacy. He would have to be the distraction, the rampaging bull that would otherwise be Varus. Between Cupcake and Varus, Koj wasn't sure who was louder and more capable of distractions.

The Three Stooges were the most predictable. They were fanatically loyal to Varus, and would jump on this mission without a second thought, even though they would spend half of it peeing themselves. The problem would be their skillsets. They had no ability to fight, and Koj couldn't trust them not to run at the first sign of danger. They reminded him of rabbits. The three were capable pilots and Rizzo was a hacker with the best of them.

While Koj, himself, was many things. He understood stealth, could fight with swords, sniper rifles, blasters, explosives, grenades, and many other forms of weaponry, and he was skilled at hand-to-hand combat if he had to. He may not have the power of Varus, but he would do fine.

"That's the ship there." Visas pointed to a sleek black vessel that reminded him of a bird of prey. He nodded and they split up.

Koj entered the ship they were residing in, and saw the others lounging around doing their own thing, mostly having visible hope for Cahjinawl's sake. "Put on your war point." Koj announced.

* * *

"I don't like this." Kota stated.

His Padawan grunted in acknowledgement, but otherwise said nothing. He didn't have to, Kota could read him like a book. Falon may be the first one to volunteer to go after Varus, but he didn't like it just as much as his master. Deny it all he wanted, there was still a connection between them, which made him all the more hurt and angry.

They sat in their personal meditation chamber of the Odo Scythe, a newly designed dreadnaught, the first of its kind. Kota was given a small escort fleet with the dreadnaught, a supply carrier, a assortment of flyers and assault ships, but in the end his attention was on his Padawan. Falon had always been focused, but now it was too focused. The boy was becoming close minded.

Kota sighed, "Calm yourself, Falon. You're coiled as much as a snake."

"I'm fine." The teenager responded.

"No… you're not. I realize Varus hurt you, but-"

"Stop talking to me like you know everything!" Falon yelled. If he still had his eyes, they would be angry. Instead his expressions came from his balled up hands and clenched jaw. "I know what happened! I was there! It was him!"

"Yes, it was." Kota admitted. Three witnesses was nothing to scoff at nor rebuke. Izthark was a prideful man of honor, and Rex was honest to a fault. "But think, Falon… does this sound like the Varus we know? Varus laughed, he cried, he helped people as best he could, he threw himself in to save his team, and in the end, he willingly went to prison for crimes he only just remembered."

Falon turned away from him, and lowered his head. "Then what do you think happened?"

The door opened and a Mandalorian trooper stood at attention just in the door. Kota waved for him to hold a minute. "I think… we should talk to Varus rather than take rash decisions."

The teenager scoffed. "What person would willingly admit to such things?"

"He would." Kota answered. "He revealed himself to you and your team. He strikes me as an honest person, even now. If he is the Varus we know, or if he has reverted back to what he was, we will know when we see him. Just don't lose faith, Falon. There is too much we don't know. Why is he doing this? Has he reverted back? Is he being forced against his will?"

"Is he an evil twin with an twisted mustache?" Falon supplied with a smirk.

Kota laughed. "Yes, yes. Does he has a mind-controlling evil mustache? You never know Falon. He may have a reason. But he also may not. Just be prepared for either possibility. We will capture him. Do what you have to do, just… don't lose faith."

Falon quieted himself. Kota figured he wouldn't respond. The Mandalorians were growing on the teenager. He was gaining their sense of pride, and being a teenager wasn't helping. He may have an inflated ego and pride, but he wasn't stupid, and he did revere his master like a father figure. Even if he doesn't say anything, Kota knew he was spinning the words in his head, considering them.

"Yes?" Kota asked of the Mandalorian.

"We are nearing the neutral zone, sir. Captain wants you on the bridge."

"We will be right up." Kota stood to his feet and Falon followed. Falon already had his white armor on and grabbed his helmet. "You just need a cape." Kota smirked, then frowned when Falon seemed to approve. "Oh, no. No, you don't!" Falon walked out anyway. "Falon! No cape!... Brat…"

Kota stormed out in an effort to catch up, but Falon was persistently annoying and kept ahead of him all the way to the bridge. Kota entered in, walked right by the Captain, and tapped Falon on the forehead repeatedly in timing with his words: "Absolutely. No. Capes."

"Are you ready, gentlemen?" Izthark wondered with barely contained amusement. "Want to continue discussing your wardrobe?"

"No, it's fine." Kota responded after giving his smiling Padawan a glare. It was the smile. Falon was going to ignore him and do whatever he wanted anyway. Teenagers… Kota was getting far too old for this crap.

"Excellent." The one-eyed Mandalorian laughed. He punched Falon in the shoulder and motioned to the screen. "We will be entering the Neutral Zone shortly."

* * *

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	15. Ep03 - Rise of the Ravager Part 2 of 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, so no sue!**

**Remember to Review. I want to know what you think and how the chapter is to you. Is it good? Is it bad? Anything I need to know? Any ideas or things you want to see in the future?**

* * *

**Episode 3 - Rise of the Ravager Part 2/?**

* * *

Koj recorked his rifle. The laser clips was a new technology he was not familiar with. It had a much stronger kick than regular sniper rifles, but had heating problems. To make up for it, it was an irregular laser rifle in having clips. The clips collected the heat, and popped out to prevent overheating. Once the clips fell, they would expunge the collected heat. Koj tested it on the ray hanger shielding. Five rapid shots or twelve slow ones per clip. The clips took five minutes to lose all of their heat, during which the rifle took only one shot to overheat and jam for a total of fifteen minutes.

Koj jammed the rifle on purpose and slammed a clip in to test a theory. The clip did not fix the jamming issue, but it take collect heat anyway. The rifle unjammed after what felt like… twelve minutes. So sticking another clip in after the initial jamming did help, eventually.

"Are we ready yet?" He asked. The microphone device in his ear was uncomfortable and an oddity. If his people had access to such technology, or guns, they wouldn't have been slaughtered like they were.

Koj pictured the face of the murderers at the end of the scope and fired. The brightness of the Warp tunnel outside the ship was illuminating and beautiful to watch. He wondered if an ocean was like that. He had never seen an ocean before. It was a dream he had, his people had.

He promised his dead people he would find the oceans. It was the same promise he made every morning and every night, it was his dream now. It was customary in this Outsider-infested galaxy to build monuments and memorials. The Ghorfa would have their memorial by an ocean surrounded by trees and green grass.

But that was a dream to be achieved another day. For now, he needed to help Varus. He needed to help Varus' people. He needed to repay his debt to the Miraluka for pulling him out of slavery and Cahjinawl as well.

He also had a debt to repay to Ashely Marr, but he couldn't think of what she did or what he would do to equal it. The Outsiders were very… odd. So many phrases and concepts he had never heard of before. It was… overwhelming.

Koj fired again and aimed for a small nail imbedded in the wall. The shot landed just beside it, and it wouldn't be due to wind. Something was off, but he would have to calculate it slightly to the right off center. He aimed for a closer point, namely the floor, and checked again. The drift was significantly smaller. He would have to take distance into account with the shot-drift.

"Visas, here. We are green-lighted to go."

Koj frowned behind the mask. "What does green light portray?" Green was an odd color. Outsiders had a thing for green it seemed. The only thing green meant to Koj was the fungus back home they grew as water sponges, or their skin, neither of which emitted light naturally. If his green skin started glowing, wasn't that a bad sign?

"We're ready."

"Oh…" He muttered quietly. That's what the phrase means. He hopped down and entered the ship.

The plan was relatively simple. Igor, Rizzo, and the third one, whose name Koj couldn't recall immediately, would fly the ship into Warp while inside the Fleet Mother. If they did it at the correct angle from the correct position, they would go into the Warp tunnel without being torn apart or colliding with the inside of the hanger. Moving through the tunnel into the dreadnaught was nothing compared to that.

Everything would go downhill from there.

Everyone was in position. Cupcake sat by the door with a pair of massive Gatling guns. He spent practically every dime they had on those things. They were easily as large and wide as couches, but he was able to lift them one-handed.

Koj set his sniper-rifle clips on the ground to lose heat while he unsheathed and re-sheathed his blade. The blade was called a… 'katana'. It was sharp and worked well for his intent, but lacked the double-edge he expected. But it would do nicely. He was used to having his sword on his back, but the weapons-keeper informed him it went on his hip. Koj strapped it around his hip, but frowned when it made him unbalanced. This would be awkward to carry.

The Three Stooges were in the cockpit with Visas Marr working out how they were going to get into Warp.

Koj held his rifle in his hands and fell to one knee to pray to the Spirit.

"Nervous?" Cracus jested.

"No."

"This another Ghorfa thing?"

The ship hummed into action and lifted. Koj and Cracus both braced themselves.

"No. This is a warrior-priest 'thing'."

"Oh… I see. Like them Trandoshens." Cracus smacked his lips in distaste. "Some nice ones, but never the priests. Not sure what to make a religion where you earn eternal life by killing and skinning people tougher than you by the dozens. That's just a waste. When you already prove yourself greater, why go the extra mile? Just leave 'em and hope they return to test you again."

A sudden movement and cheering from the cockpit alerted them to the fact that something went right. The ship shook furiously. They were in Warp.

"This is not like that." Koj finished praying and felt the Spirit's hand on his shoulders. It was comforting.

Koj felt it odd for the huge lizard to be talkative. Cracus was into stories of grand battles, but rarely about other things. Perhaps it was his way of dealing with the waiting. Koj didn't mind, many of his own people were the same way. They talked to their animal-brothers more than they did each other at times.

"What you do to get eternal life then? Sacrifice goats?" Cracus wondered.

Koj frowned. Eternal life was a concept he was new to. It sounded like pure fantasy. Back home, living one day to the next was everything. If you survived to hit fifty, you were practically ancient and was seen as someone who had lived practically forever. Anyone who hit sixty went mad from simply living too long. Although that might be "living too long THERE" to be more specific, in hindsight.

But eternal life? Living more than sixty years, more than sixty years sixty times? The concept of eternity itself was something Koj had never heard of. Infinite, universal scope, everything, nothing, eternity, alpha and omega, beginning and end, these concepts were something he had never comprehended. Oh, sure he understood the concept of nothing in the sense of death and not having things, but nothing as in… an absence of everything.

"I… don't know." Koj answered honestly.

Cracus frowned. "Your religion makes no promise of eternal life?" Koj shook his head. Cracus made some kind of expression he couldn't place. "Alrighty, then. It's your Spirit, Ghorfa."

Distant explosions erupted, but the door stayed shut. They were still in Warp. After a minute or two, what felt like hours, Visas joined them at the door with her light saber at the ready. The shaking abruptly ended and was replaced with the distant sound of sirens and a softer hum of a large ship. A sudden jolt before complete calmness told Koj they landed.

"Trust me… the concept of living eternally in a galaxy like this doesn't sound pleasant…" Koj said tensely. He felt his adrenaline start to kick in and judging from the slight reddening of the lizard's skin, he was feeling the same way.

Visas flicked on her light saber and smirked. "So, who wants to do the honors?"

"Allow me." Cracus laughed gleefully. She stepped aside from the door, to which he graciously nodded. His eyes increasingly reddened and smoke came off his skin. He may have nodded graciously, but he didn't look gracious. He looked ready to tear things apart. With a roar he grabbed the huge Gatling guns, one in each hand, and exploded out of the ship, completely missing the door.

Koj glanced from the hole in the wall to the door and back. He sighed, reached out, opened the door, and allowed Visas out first. "Rizzo! You coming?"

"Comin'!" The man squeaked. He scrambled out of the cockpit with his pistol hand shaking. Koj kept a wary eye on it as it whizzed by his face more than a few times.

"If you accidentally shoot me I am going to break every bone in your body and leave you as an offering to whatever native animals the Miraluka have on their ships." Koj threatened. "Then kill you."

* * *

It was official, something was wrong with Cahjinawl. She hated ice cream.

Ashley Marr smiled as the little girl by her convulsed in disgust. "Didn't like it?" Cahjinawl shook her head 'no'. Ash asked for a sample of the next one, and handed the spoon of ice cream down to the girl. The little Ghorfa stick it in her mouth, chewed a bit, before sticking her tongue out in disgust. "Not that one either?"

"Bwah! No! It makes my mouf cold." The girl complained.

The lady behind the desk smiled and shook her head. "Honey, it's supposed to do that."

"How can you like it then?! That's disgusting!" Cahjinawl asked in amazement. She handed the spoon back like it might infect her or something.

"It's an acquired taste. Like... a fine wine."

"Ohh..." Ash liked that idea. "I wonder what wine ice cream would be like."

"You're always free to try grape. That's as close as we can offer."

"No, that's fine. Cahjinawl, honey, you sure you don't want anything?" Ash looked down on the little girl looking at the tubs of icecream with a hint of disdain.

"Yeah... I'm sure." She stepped away and Ash smiled apologetically. She asked for a cone for herself, paid, and took the girl out.

"I can't believe you don't like ice cream." Ashley said. That was like telling a kid to not like fun. "There is nothing better than sitting on a hot day with something cold in your mouth."

"Yeah... sure. And people enjoy suicide too." The kid mumbled under her breathe.

Something about the way Cahjinawl said that sent a cold chill up and down Ash's spine. She remembered her own experience twenty years ago. If Cahjinawl was anything like her, which she suspected, then she had seen people doing that very thing. When people get depressed, there is no saying what they will do. Sometimes they will find a way to end their mortal suffering, and others will show the strength to carry on. But did she really think it was a good thing? Ash would say not from the sarcastic tone, but for a kid to say something so dark so flippantly...

No kid should be even discussing it casually like it was an every day topic as casual as the weather.

Just how dark was the girl? Did she not see good in life? A reason or point to living? Fun?

"Honey..." Ash was almost afraid to ask. "Have you ever seen a playground?"

"What's a play ground?"

She had to ask...

Ash took the girl to one of the few playgrounds inside the Fleet Mother, and set the girl loose. At first she wanted to show her how to do things, but she wanted to first see how she would react and, to her horror, Cahjinawl reacted exactly like she expected.

Cahjinawl just stood there watching from a distance. She had no idea what the children were doing. The sounds of laughter seemed foreign, the activities were stupid and wild and crazy, and she looked completely uncomfortable being within ten feet of children her own age. She stood on the very edge by the fence minding her own business.

The girl was completely dysfunctional around her own age group and was forced to deal with adult situations at such a young age she was just as serious as her father. The innocence didn't exist. The fun wasn't looked for. The concept of 'desire' was unwanted even to the point of not having anything sugary or sweet. (A child who didn't like candy! Ash almost couldn't believe such a concept existed!)

Instead, Cahjinawl seemed thoughtful, reclusive, and lonely, but no desire for the others to join her nor ask her to join them. Ash felt her heart melt.

She called the young girl over. Cahjinawl's father was in a mission, her uncle was in the hospital, and both were in danger. That was enough pushing for now. The girl didn't want children as friends, she wanted her family.

"Come on, honey. Let's go see Varus."

She brightened up immediately and ran. Ashley laughed. She could barely keep up with the girl now. "You're going to the wrong way!"

Eventually they made it to the hospital and to Varus' room. They entered in to find various objects around the room floating in the air. The girl ignored it all, ducked under a floating chair, and jumped up to tackle Varus with an 'oof'. Everything clattered onto the ground.

It took them half an hour to calm the girls joyful crying while Varus panicked as though he didn't understand the tears.

* * *

Koj stayed perfectly still, listening, observing, waiting. The ventilation duct was cramped, but he fit in smoothly as a fish. His camouflaged armor and robed coverings blended in. He was completely unseen. He was one with the darkness.

If only the same could be said of Rizzo. The fat man was more jittery than a scared desert weazel on Outsider coffee, and his eyes were wide as plates. The man was afraid. As if the shaking wasn't clue enough, the consistent whimpering was. Koj doubted he even knew he was whimpering.

Droids by the hundred marched by on their way to the hanger. Cupcake and Visas were on a rampage. It was nearly an hour ago that they started and the explosions or shaking had yet to stop. He could set his clock by the booms.

Koj did not know how many droids the dreadnaught held, but judging from the hundreds on hundreds to pass by this one corridor alone, Cupcake and Visas had their hands full.

"I have to pee…" Rizzo muttered. The large man had his face on the cold metal siding, the position he finally managed to stop stirring in.

"Then do it."

"But…"

"I greatly doubt a ship of droids will have a bathroom. Welcome to the life of stealth." Koj congratulated him. It was something he was used to. When you laid out in the sands for hour to remain unseen, you couldn't afford the movement to find a rock to relieve yourself behind.

The whimpering increased two fold for a while before stopping. "This is humi'iatin'." Koj didn't bother responding. He would be used to it, or die. Those were really the only options available.

Finally the droids stopped coming and they were left in silence.

Koj peered out through the slits in the vent. He saw nothing. He heard nothing. "It's clear."

"Oh, thank 'od…"

They clambered, and fell, out of the vent. "How 'ong has it been?" Rizzo wondered.

Koj couldn't say. Time tended to flow fast at times and slow at times, but it had definitely been a few hours. "Long enough. We need to move fast." He pulled his rifle into his hands and they ran down the passage. He told Rizzo to lead the way, since the man was supposed to have memorized the blueprints.

The passage ways were now clear of droids all the way to the destination, short of stragglers Koj picked off without breaking sprint. The only thing holding them back was Rizzo's need to catch his breath every few minutes, but eventually they made it to the bridge. A pair of droids with lightning rods stood in their way. While they may have posed to a threat to anything in hand-to-hand range, the laser rifle pierced their weapons and bodies clear through to the wall.

Rizzo hacked in to the door terminal in seconds and opened it. Koj slid in, took cover behind the chair of the pilot, and initiated a simple cleanup of the room. The droids at the terminals were unarmed, there were only four guards, and the pilot was babbling for mercy without posing a threat.

Koj hesitated to hurt the alien, but when the pilot triggered an alarm he shot him between the eyes. "Oh, that is NOT 'ood! No, no, no!" Rizzo yelled in aggravation. He grabbed a terminal and plugged his data pad in directly.

"Can you stop it?"

"Uh…" Rizzo tapped his tablet a few times, and hesitated before getting back to it. "I' have to 'et back to you on that.

"Great…" Koj turned his earpiece back on. "Cracus, Visas. How are you holding up?"

If the whoops of glee, maniacal laughter, gunfire, and explosions was any clue: They were doing fine. "Having the time of our lives, Ghorfa!" Cracus yelled. "Did the idiot with you trigger that alarm? It's annoying!"

"Sorry, that would be me."

"Well, well. Who'd have thought!" The lizard laughed.

Distant clatter-clatter of marching droids grabbed Koj's attention. He kicked the pilot off his seat, perched himself in it backwards, and aimed his sights down the hall.

The droids were marching stupidly in large numbers straight for him, not even bothering to hide. He had three clips on him, but there were already sixty droids and one of them near the end was a large hulking droid with a flat face, flesh eyes, and a cape on it's hunched-back shoulders. This droid had a pair of lightsabers in its hands.

"Rizzo, you might want to hurry." Koj aimed his first shot and fired. The laser was powerful enough to blast five droids into obliteration before hitting the opposite end of the hall. Another two shoots in quick succession had similar results, cleaning up a fourth of the droids in the hall already, but more were coming. The special one with lightsabers growled angrily and took cover.

"I'm hurryin'! But the ship is fightin' back! The ship isn't just a ship, it has its own AI to prevent c'ose-ran'e ship-to-ship hackin'! It's 'ike playin' chess with somethin' that moves fa-"

"Less talking, more breaking things."

* * *

Cracus was having the time of his life.

He was angry, dealing with Varus on a daily basis gave him a short temper. He had armor plating due to the anger that shrugged off laser bolts and enough muscle to take tanks head on. He had two Gatling guns spraying a thousand bolts a second combined, two hours of battery life, and enough droids to make this the best turkey shoot ever.

What could possibly be better.

Cracus sprayed down fire on another line of droids taking shots at him. The hanger was full of dozens upon dozens of droids increasing by the hundreds. Unfortunately for them, and fortunate for him, they were grouped up tightly and he had a new set of toys.

Visas appeared at some point. He barely noticed her while all he saw was blood, red, and droids to fire at. She was a powerful force user. She wasn't as powerful as Varus by far, but she was still good. Her movements were like water. She moved from one person to the next constantly in motion as she turned and twisted and spun. All of her energy flowed into the next movement. She never stopped moving and she didn't look like she was tiring. If anything, she only moved faster and faster, gaining more and more focus as she evaded attacks, performed acrobatics, and left a trail of broken droids in her wake. Yet her 'water' met 'shadow' as she suddenly disappeared out of sight only to reappear elsewhere.

It was probably the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. She was like a dancing goddess warrior.

Chuckling to himself about being unfocused in battle, he took hold of a Dominion transport. While normally in his seven-foot tall form, it would be to heavy, it was no different than lifting a table chair in his angry one. He picked it up off the ground, bulldozed a line of droidekas with laughter rising from his lungs, and shoved it face-first into the hanger door from which the droids were spilling in from.

An explosion on his shoulder shook his attention and he momentarily saw stars. His shoulder burned and he was knocked to the ground.

To any other foe, it would have killed him. For Cracus, it just ticked him off. Cracus's light growl turned into a roar as he tackled the tank to fire on him, knocked it over on its side, grabbed it by the turret, spun, and threw it into another door.

Visas somehow appeared on his back. She sat on his shoulder dangling her feet by his head like a little girl. "Overcompensating much?" She asked with a smirk.

Cracus laughed loudly. Suddenly, a red light appeared in the room followed by a loud blaring noise. Cracus growled. The noise was annoying.

A voice appeared in his ear, "Cracus, Visas. How are you holding up?"

The ceiling opened up to reveal an inner-hanger turret. So they decided to bring out the big guns! With joyous glee, Cracus reached up, grabbed the turret, and yanked it right out of the ceiling. It refused to give at first, but he showed it who's boss.

"Having the time of our lives, Ghorfa!" Cracus yelled. "Did the idiot with you trigger that alarm? It's annoying!"

"Sorry, that would be me."

Cracus blinked in surprise. He certainly didn't expect that. He couldn't help teasing him. "Well, well. Who'd have thought!"

Visas lifted her legs up and dropped to the floor by him. "I'm going to go see if they need backup. You have everything covered here?"

"I'm good. More for me anyway." Visas nodded and ran in the direction that would hopefully be Koj'Ineh and Rizzo. Igor was hiding in a corner somewhere. Cracus glanced around. The vessel the Miraluka donated to them was torn up and full of holes. "Whoops…" He chuckled nervously. "We're going to have to pay for that, aren't we?... Better find us another way out of here." Unfortunately every single ship in the hanger was destroyed or on fire. "Better find us another hanger then… Igor!"

Cracus barely had the name out before Igor was scampering out of his little hole on his hands and knees scurrying across the ground to help him find a transport of some kind. Igor squeaked in fright and hid as more droids appeared, but not before letting loose a shot out of sheer terror. The shot hit the droid in the face and it fell leaving the lizard to clean them up. With his adrenaline waning down, his size, muscle mass, and armored hide dissipated, leaving a seven foot lizard that could still hold a Gatling gun in both hands. He stood on top the rubble and rained hell down on anything remaining that moved. Not that there was anything left. By his count, Cracus 2300, Visas 200, Igor 1, Varus 0. (Anything big counted more.) That made it a good day and they weren't through yet. The ship had to have more droids somewhere.

* * *

Rebhorn tapped irritably on his captains chair. Behind him, the holographic-water imaging showed multiple fleets and a system of planets. Their situation had drastically changed in the last few hours. They were nearing the border, the Dominion Dreadnaught was still on their tail, the border was coming near, and the Mandalorian fleet sitting on the other side of the border had just entered the neutral zone. In addition, the New Republic fleet, under command of Admiral Carth Onasi was sitting in the system waiting for them.

Rebhorn had a gut feeling that Warp mines were laid in his path. Not that Onasi wasn't an honorable strategist who had to fall to cheap tactics, but because it was becoming more and more standard strategy to have it on the border nations along the normal Warp roads.

If there were no mines, the Miraluka could come out of Warp on the other side of the New Republic, let the Dominion and Republic settle their differences, and hope the Mandalorian fleet was only interested in scaring them off. But if there were mines, the entire Nomadic Fleet would be torn asunder. The third option was coming out of warp in the system, and find themselves stuck in a battle between the Dominion, New Republic, and Mandalorians. It would inevitably be in the Clans and Republic favor, since the Dominion had only a single dreadnaught left with some escort ships, and the Miraluka had no weapons of any kind.

Sometimes he truly hated being in charge. This was big. Very big, and it came down to the minutes at this point.

Whether it was for old times' sake, or the need for a second opinion, he reached his mind out through the Network to Victoria Marek. Victoria responded with a gentle, yet curious touch, and he released his anxiety and fear. She became visibly worried, and strengthened the bond on her end enough to convey actual thought. Unfortunately it also caused some of her physical pain to pass through and he hissed. His body tensed. He hadn't prepared himself for the agony of feeling half of his body on fire like hers, and what he felt was only the afterimage drop that happened to pass through the bond. Just how much pain was she in daily?

-What is wrong?- Her voice said in his mind.

-We have a problem.- Rebhorn laid out the situation. The pros, the cons, the facts, the risks, the problems, everything.

She quieted herself for a good while. The bond weakened slightly while she focused elsewhere, and strengthened again after some moments. -The people have followed us this far, my little plarican, they will continue to. Do your best. We can expect no more or less than that.-

Rebhorn smiled to himself, despite the situation. He hadn't been called 'my little plarican' in years. He had almost forgotten about it. As children up through adult-hood, he was always competing with the late-Keeper in everything from fighting, to politics, to woman. Victoria called him after the plarican birds, that were overprotective of multiple nests to the point of causing the other males to be seen as insufficient. He personally didn't much like the birds, far too annoying. They had huge territorial boundaries.

Seeing her be betrothed to the late-Keeper had been tough, seeing the brat grow up hadn't help that much either, he was just like his mother on the outside. Even now, he was so much like her it was crazy. She too rubbed off on him horribly the first time they met, now that he thought about it. He didn't seem anything like his father, who was incredibly strong and protective on the outside but soft and squishy on the inside. No, the only thing Rebhorn had seen so far of Galen was crazy and stupid, which only compounded the fact that he couldn't truly be trusted as a Miraluka citizen or a Keeper.

-Thanks, Miss Marek.- He replied and turned his mind back to the situation. He felt her smile for him and release the connection.

He steeled himself before allowing himself a brief moment to breathe in and out. The Dominion were still on them. Varus' friends hadn't managed to stop the Dominion in time. Rebhorn spoke, and the aura in the room moved from patient and depressingly hopeful, to energetic and focused. "Send a message to the fleet. We're coming out of Warp. Prepare for evasive maneuvers. The Fleet Mother will act as bait, go in close, and maneuver around the planet. The rest of the ships are to scatter and go back into Warp as soon as they can get past the anti-Warp field that will inevitably appear. Should take some time, but if they move at maximum speeds, they should be able to get outside the field radius safely."

He allowed them half a minute to relay all that he had said to the fleet. The crew moved into action with all the energy and expertise expected of them. Everyone was instantly wired like they had a triple crapochino shot. "On my count."

* * *

Koj slammed the third clip into his rifle after it finished releasing its heat and took quick successive shots of the incoming droids. The regular run-of-the-mill droids had stopped coming, but now it left him with some jumpy-aerobatic ones and rolling ones coming in. The quick shots missed half the time due to the droids wild movements, but he got lucky and finished them off. The rolling droid stopped just inside the door to the bridge and Koj fired the last shot he had at it, but the shot failed to penetrate it's shield.

The Ghorfa hid behind cover in the pilots seat as the rolling-droid opened fire on his position. The large one with the cape snickered in diablocal laughter and moved in closer. Something about that droid gave him a very bad feeling.

The rolling droid walked around the pilot seat on legs the size of pins. It's shield smoothly allowed the corpses of its fallen comradeds through as it stepped over them, and Koj noticed. He kept the back of the chair between him and the droid. "Rizzo, your pistol!"

Rizzo squeaked in fright at the sudden attention, drawing the droid's notice. He threw his pistol in the air from where he hid while working. Koj caught it, ran around, and brought it's nuzzle inside the droid's shielding next to its head while it was distracted. A single shot fried it's skull.

Another aerobatic-droid leaped in jumping off of walls, spinning, and crawling on the ceiling. Koj side stepped its obvious aim and cut it cleanly in half. He scowled. The droid was practically insulting him firing from so close. And droids like these kept the Republic at war for so long? what kind of stupid droid fires a medium range weapon from close range?

Idiots...

"Uh... we have a prob'em!" Rizzo yelled.

At the same time a hoarse cough just behind Koj made him drop. Four light sabers whizzed by where his head was, and he jumped away from the hulking droid-man with four arms. The thing cackled in well-practiced evil laughter from coughing it's lungs out. Koj raised his blade up defensively and stepped back from him.

"I have to say, I have never met someone quite like you before!" It mocked him. "What species are you? Bah, no matter! I will enjoy adding your blade to my collection!" It waved its light sabers menacingly.

"Uh-huh..." Koj drolled. His eyes glanced to the side for a brief moment. He raised his right hand and put it up. The enemy watched it carefully as he slowly, achingly slowly, raised the hand over to the side of the door...

and hit the door switch.

The four-armed thing roared in aggravation from the other side of the door. Koj punched keys at random, looking for the right ones, and succeeded when multiple layers of door shut as well. He sheathed his blade and fired the pistol at the door switch. "Stupid thing talks too much."

"I'm not jokin'! We have a prob'em!"

"I took care of it." Koj returned to his sniper rifle and checked the magazines. One was ready to be clipped back in, and he did the proper maintenance to prepare himself.

"Not that! 'ook!" Rizzo insisted worriedly. His tone worried Koj heavily and he glanced up at where Rizzo was pointing.

Just in front of he Miraluka fleet ahead of them was a kind of... window opening revealing black stars and a planet.

"They're pu'ing out of Warp!" Rizzo monologue'd. While normally stating the obvious might be unnecessary, Koj had no idea what it meant till now.

Koj shared a glance with him, with the same fear on his face. "We're too late, aren't we?"

"I'm... sorry. It was 'ike playin' chess with somethin' twice as fast as me."

"It's fine, Rizzo. But what do we do?"

Rizzo jumped into the pilots seat. "If we don't drop out as we', we will be torn apart in the ripp'e! We're going in."

Koj cursed their luck. Disabling the Warp drive or anti-Warp field didn't work. They would have to do something else. "Can you disable the guns or engines?"

"I... should be able to. Provided the ship's A.I. hasn't blocked a' access out from the brid'e." He squealed as four light sabers jammed their way into the door. "T-T-Technica'y, 'uns and en'ines require manua' contro' so..." Rizzo thought as fast as he could while under a blind panic and following the Miraluka into the Warp window. "If we disab'e the termina's, it should work as we'. Hang on!"

Koj turned to look at the window as they entered in behind Miraluka. However, while the Miraluka stalled to a halt, they kept going. Rizzo had no control due to having his access blocked, and the ship's AI didn't react until they nearly collided with a very very large Republic vessel.

When they finally came to a halt, they were inches away from the window of the opposing vessel. Koj could reach out and touch the glass as he and the Admiral in the other dreadnaught looked at each other. The man was pale as a ghost, obviously having expected the Dominion ship's bridge to collide with his own. Another few inches and they would have. (Such closeness could only be considered to be mechanical precision via the ship's AI.) Next to the Admiral was an older Jedi with a mustache. Koj felt his blood boil at the sight of the jedi.

Rizzo was staring out the window in frozen terror before slowly raising his hand and waving. "We'... I don't have to worry about using the bathroom anymore."

The sound of light saber cutting through the door like a welding torch reminded them of the situation and Koj glanced back to see the droid-man had almost cut an improvised door. He returned his attention to Rizzo. "Please tell me there is a way out of here without going past that... thing?"

"Yeah, mo-most brid'es have an escape route with access to hangers."

The light sabers inched closer to finishing. "Then find it!" Koj rushed him and Rizzo jumped his large body into gear. After several tense seconds he found it. It was an access panel that didn't require computer access. Rizzo opened it and jumped in first at the Ghorfa's insistence. Koj stood at the rim and turned to see the droid-man finally enter in with a ticked off look in it's eye. Koj shot every terminal in sight quickly, saluted the droid, and dropped down. A roar of indignation followed him. Koj fired at the walls as he passed to make sure they weren't followed.

* * *

**Note: Just got back after a trip visiting my sister, heard a friend had a little baby girl named Rose, and dropped my Accounting class today because I can't handle a class that difficult without a teacher. (Its an online class because the teacher couldn't be bothered otherwise. And it boils down to "read this, do this, bye" approach from her.)**

**So yeah… after being on the road for 8 hours… I'm a little wiped.**

**But yeah, the reviews are excited to be seeing HK, and we will but NOT YET. Hold your horses. HK will be returning soon, as is the Ravager, but let's take this a step at a time. This will be an episode with many parts.**

_**Review please. I want to know how I'm doing! Every review makes my day. :)**_


	16. Ep03 - Rise of the Ravager Part 3 of 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, so no sue!**

**Remember to Review. I want to know what you think and how the chapter is to you. Is it good? Is it bad? Anything I need to know? Any ideas or things you want to see in the future?**

* * *

**Episode 3 - Rise of the Ravager Part 3/?**

* * *

The moment we came out of Warp was fairly obvious. The shaking, the sudden stillness, the silencing hum of the ship. The orderly panic might have been a clue too. Maybe.

Doctors and nurses run by the door in a frenzy to prepare for what they fear may be the worst, and the Force is sending the hairs on the back of my neck up more than when I found out I have a natural at electricity. Things are about to get very bad. And… something familiar is calling for me. It sounds like a faint whimper, but I can't place it.

Regardless, I can't just sit there! My brother is out there fighting! Even the Stooges and Cupcake are fighting! (And Visas.) and what am I doing? Nothing! I gently push Squirt away and bring the wheelchair over to me with the Force. "Help me up." I start to swing my legs over, but it's difficult to move when your head is in a neck-brace.

"Varus, what are you doing?" Ashley protests worriedly.

"My friends and family are out there fighting for me, Ashley, I can't just do nothing." I answer. She doesn't move to help me, so I do it myself. I never would have thought moving from a bed to a wheelchair would be so difficult. I take a moment to rest once I'm situated. I'm already drenched in sweat and feeling like I've run a marathon. I'm really bad off…

A distant feeling tells me Koj is in danger. Call it intuition, call it instinct, call it the Force, but I don't need it pushing me! I'm already motivated!

I look in her direction. Raising my head is too much effort. "Are you going to push me?"

"N-No! Varus! It's too dangerous!" She protests.

She tries to push me back over to the bed, but I grab hold of the chair with the Force firmly. She isn't going to budge me. "Ashley, here are your options." I growl. Sorry, but I'm not in a good mood and I'm hurting. It takes all of my self-control not to send sparks flying all over the room.

She looks at me slightly scared. Good.

I say, "I'm hurting, I don't have much energy, and I'm sorry if I come across as COMPLETELY pissed off, but I will not just sit here and wait for the Force Bond I have with Koj to snap without having done something! So either you push me, hold Squirt's hand and keep her close, or get out of my way. It's you're choice."

She gulps, and I give her a few seconds to make up her mind. This is probably the closest to my Sith persona she has ever seen me, and more than a few have passed out just from the aura I give off. If she passes out, it's her problem.

Instead, her face hardens, and she says, "Cahjinawl, honey, would you be outside a moment?"

The little girl looks between us, and scampers out obediently. She looks like she knows what's about to happen. Not sure what that is but… oh well.

The woman snarls at me. Her anger is very much near the surface and she looks livid. "The only reason I haven't slapped you is because it would cause permanent injury."

"Noted."

"But, how dare you throw your life away! Try looking at your niece sometime. She is completely isolated from her peers, has mental traumas that she is hiding amazingly well, and I doubt has any education at all. You and her father are everything to her, and you most of all!" She jams a finger in my chest hard enough to hurt. I wince slightly. "I can't stop you from being stupid, but if you throw your life away over something as useless as sentiment, I will spit on your grave. You know nothing about what she has suffered. You know nothing of death."

A part of me snaps under the accusation, and I feel Starkiller come dangerously close to the surface. The room goes dark, darker than it was even without light, and all the warmth in the air disappears until Ashley is visibly shivering. My eyes are red, but that isn't what a Miraluka would see. A Miraluka would see the darkness coming off of my skin in a mist consuming everything it touches. The Force inhabits everything including the air to a small degree, so a person who sees through the Force, would notice nothing but darkness and void being consumed around me. The Force practically pulses off of me in waves of void, lightning, and power.

In the back of my mind I see Nihilus. I feel his taint, his teachings, his torture, and his face. I see every person I've killed, from the man who's murder earned me the name Starkiller, to the revengeful Maris.

"I know exactly what death is." I respond. My voice is darker than I've heard in years. She takes a fearful step back as though she had just angered a great beast.

I close my eyes and push down my anger. She wasn't accusing me out of spite, she was trying to prove a point. I don't know how, but she has become unnaturally attached to my niece despite my order not to without my permission. Well, if she is going to stand up for Squirt enough to take on the Destroyer's Apprentice, that is a lot of guts. It's worth something.

I open my eyes again and the dark aura I gave off disappears, but while I feel refreshed she looks like she can barely stand. I inwardly sigh. "Sorry if I'm not what you expected in a Keeper's son, but reality is I am more Nihilus' apprentice than a Marek. Next time you want to figure out if I know what death is or not, try asking Victoria who the survivors of the initial genocide was."

"You were…" She whispers.

Of course, she already knew that, but it is something that needs to be refreshed in her mind. "I appreciate your concern for Squirt. I love Squirt. She's the daughter I've never had, but reality is, I am not her father. She needs her father more than me, even if she personifies me as her guardian angel right now. The reason I am willing to push myself to offer Koj even the slightest support, even if it comes down to being nothing, in the end, is because I know myself of how easily people can die… And even me pushing myself a tiny bit can help that, then I'll sleep happy."

She nods numbly.

"Great. Are you going to pass out?" I chuckle.

She slowly shakes her head, but that doesn't help. She looks like she needs the wheelchair more than me. I open the door with my mind. "No, I'm fine… Um… What exactly are you going to do?" She asks hesitantly. She leans back on a railing to keep from collapsing under the pressure of the sheer amount of power I showed off.

I shrug. "I don't know. I think I'll head to the bridge and see where I'm needed."

I open the door with my mind and push myself out, but my chair jolts as she takes it. "I'm sorry. I-I forgot for a moment… everything you and Visas went through. I don't agree with the risks you're taking… but just don't kill yourself and leave your niece behind. Please."

I glance over to see a bunch of the Miraluka around my room had passed out from the Force pressure I had sent out, and amongst them was Squirt. My heart clenches at the sight. I failed to repress my darker side completely, and hurt her, yet again. As if she hasn't been traumatized enough by life.

I carefully lift her body off the ground and onto my lap with the Force. "I don't plan to."

* * *

Rebhorn stops in mid-sentence during his orders to look towards where the powerful Force signature came from. Whatever it was, it was dark, it was massive, it was close, and it was loud. But then, just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared.

The entire crew had stopped moving. Fear had come over them. Two of them actually pass out at their stations and collapse.

"Wha-what was that?" Someone asked.

"I don't know…" Someone responds. Terror begins to plague the crew, but Rebhorn firmly barks out the order to regain their focus.

"Get us into the asteroid field! Use the rocks as cover!"

* * *

Koj glides down the chute. An opening appears. Rizzo falls out, but Koj pulls out his blade and shoves it into the floor as he nears the opening. His legs and waist dangle out, but he has a firm grip and the blade pierced the wall well. He glances around, but thankfully, the fall is short.

A wave of empty darkness blows over him like wind and the Spirit disappears from his side for a brief moment. Cold sweat covers him from the brief exposure. He doesn't even feel his grip loosen in shock until he falls on top of Rizzo, who immediately screams in both shock, pain, and terror from something falling on him in the darkness.

"Where are we?" Koj asks after collecting himself.

Never before had he felt anything so dark, empty, cold, and powerful before. The room was pitch black, and the aura he sensed was still darker.

"I don't know." Rizzo rubbed his sore shoulders. He reached a door and opened it just enough to look out. "We're in a hidden compartment… It's the hanger!"

"Is it safe?"

"Uh… I think so."

"Good. Without a bridge, weapons and engines would have to be controlled manually. Let's find the others and get out of here."

* * *

Carth Onasi's right eye twitches at the sight. It was a simple plan. Stand in the way of the Miraluka's escape with a mass murderer/terrorist, and wait for them to pop out. Well, it went fine. What he hadn't expected was a giant Dominion dreadnaught to come barreling in and screeching to a halt inches away from his bridge window. He could reach out and touch the other ship if he wanted to.

And there were was a weird alien, a very fat man, and General Grevious on the bridge fighting. Looks like there was a on-board ship struggle.

"How long until the Mandalorians are here?" He asked.

A soldier responded, "Minutes sir!"

"Good." He nodded. "Give them the coordinates of the Miraluka fleet and… request for a pincer move. They're going into the asteroid field."

"Yes sir… they are in agreement! The Mandalorian fleet will take up perimeter in accordance with us."

The Admiral nodded.

"Isn't going into the asteroids suicide?" Someone asked.

"Not really." Obi-Wan shrugged. He stood by Onasi and actually found the whole scene amusing. "Small craft would be crushed by asteroids, but if they put enough power to the shields, the large craft will be shrugging the rocks off like…. well rocks, actually. It's perfect cover. Keeps us from hitting them, and we can't send fighters in ourselves."

"But it does leave few ways of escape." Onasi thought out loud. "So… naturally, we trap them. Have the fleet take positions here, here, and here."

"And us?" Obi-Wan smirked. He motioned to the scene in front of them of the alien shooting bridge terminals and General Grevious getting ticked off all the more. "Ships appear to be down."

Onasi felt his eye twitch return. He needed a drink… "Back full. Blow it up."

"What about the aliens who appear to be wreaking havoc on the-" The Jedi suddenly gasps for air and grabs hold of the desk near him to hold steady. Onasi stands over him protectively to make sure he is alright. He didn't see anyone fire!

"He's here…" The Jedi gasps.

"Who?" Onasi wonders.

"Him! I haven't felt this since Coruscant! It's not strong enough to be Nihilus… but! It is! But it's not!" Obi-Wan cringes in pain. "I don't know!"

"Someone take him to the medical bay." Onasi orders and directs his focused gaze toward where the only signs of life was nearby. "Destroy the dreadnaught and get to the asteroid field! The Sith is not getting out of here!"

* * *

Meanwhile on a ship drifting in space…

Click. Click. Creak.

A pair of lights flared to life. The lights were eyes to a metal face. "At long last…"

The drifting ship around it continue to make metal-on-metal scratching noises, creaking sounds, and deep murmurs of wind passing through its halls. Lights flared to life in the form of very tiny flying droids almost identical to pixies. The pixies looked at each other in glee and flew around excitedly. More and more lights turned on down the halls and in the rooms. Power systems flared to life. The swarm of pixie droids flew through the dark halls before coming to the droid lying dormant on the floor. It looked at the swarm in understanding of the bizarre language of horrifying sounds.

"The Master has come! The Master has come! The Master has come!" The swarm squealed in Basic.

The pixie droids emitted white light beams from their face on the larger droid, and wherever their light touched, repairs were made almost like it was being sown together. The larger droid flexed its hands and feet to test the unit's systems. Piece by piece, the droid's hardware was returned to prime condition. The light around the droid churned and was replaced with a slightly new droid, one of silver-gold tint, a flat face, and the normal arms and legs it has come to associate with its 'birth-unit'. The droid stood on shaky legs, concluded there was a gravity well nearby, and adjusted accordingly. The pixie droids danced around it while one of them presented to it a pair of lightsabers, a sniper rifle, and a blaster.

"Did you feel it? Did you feel it? Did you feel it?" The swarm asked it. On the front of each pixie's face was a ':D' symbol.

The larger droid adjusted each of its weapons and gear for prime efficiency and stepped over the bodies of its many live-simulation-tests, or undesirables as they would be referenced.

"Did you feel the Master? The Master is in trouble! There are two fleets around where we felt the Master!" The swarm continued to ask as it flew ahead of the walking droid.

"Answer: I did not, but my importing of facts is irrelevant. What does matter is the statistical relevance of us having been proven right, which, I always am. It is time we liquidated some undesirables."

* * *

"Additional contacts incoming! Six ships of cruiser class and up, with one dreadnaught!" As the crew member said it, the information on the water-projector showed the fleet hovering in range. The New Republic was positioning themselves on the opposite end of the asteroid field the Miraluka hid behind, but this new fleet dropped out of Warp and were immediately on the move to flank them.

Clearly hostile.

Rebhorn would need to change things. They had avoided entering the asteroid field, rather flying close to it and positioning themselves in orbit of the planet instead. But now…

"Damnit... This changes everything. Put the ship on emergency lockdown. I want the civilians out of the inner-city and in the bunker-armory. Doran, get weapons online! Target the asteroids. Clear us a path inside. Miles, tell the cruisers to stop running and return to the Fleet Mother. They have one minute before we head inside." Rebhorn's mind went into overdrive. Having the Fleet Mother act as decoy would have worked so long as only one fleet was here, but two? Splitting themselves in two would only spell their end.

The Fleet Mother wasn't capable of fighting in battle, but it did have enough guns left to fend of small-time pirates and asteroids. If the Nomadic Fleet took up a tight formation, the few guns they had would fend off the asteroids while the asteroids would provide proper cover.

While he considered the situation, the crew around him moved in action with the efficiency expected of them. The Miraluka had learned much of space travel in their twenty-year exile, and this crew was the cream of the crop. It was the dream of every Miraluka crew to earn a position here, and this allowed him to be very selective.

Rebhorn actually allowed the cruisers two minutes, the first to allow Miles to send the message and receive a response. "Doran, status report."

"Weapons are now online, shields are at 95% and climbing, we are in position and the rest is all green. The fleet is on rendezvous. Shall I send them the formation map?"

The Admiral tapped his fingers together in thought. "Good. Do so. Someone establish contact with the New Republic and the Clans and-"

The door in the far back opened and Varus, Ashley, and the little girl with him entered. "Do you have a reason for being on my bridge?" Rebhorn demanded without turning around.

"I'm here to help." The man in the wheelchair said.

"And how exactly is that? You are not fit to be out of bed."

"And I'm still a stronger Force user than everyone in this room combined." Varus returned. "I know I need to recuperate, and I may rub off on the wrong way with you, purposefully, but until this battle is over, I intend to be on station." Varus motioned to the corner, and the woman pushed him over.

"Captain, we have the admirals standing by."

Rebhorn barked. "Fine, Marek! Stay! But stay hidden!" The three newcomers hid.

* * *

The screen on the Oda Scythe showed a blind man. Kota saw in his broad shoulders, straight back, and clothes, to be someone special. The black cloth around his eyes was unusual, reminding him of Falon. Except Falon had black skin around his cloth.

On another part of the screen was the New Republic Admiral, Carth Onasi.

"Can your force senses tell if he is lying from here?" Kota heard Izthark ask in his ear through the mic. Kota subtlety shook his head. "Okay."

Izthark stepped forward. Kota and him were the ranking officers on this mission, but Mandalore had put his fellow clan member in charge. Kota glanced at the holographic map. They were in position, as were the New Republic. The Miraluka were slowly entering the asteroids and the Dominion dreadnaught was on the verge of being destroyed. It wasn't resisting at all.

As if confirmation of his thoughts, the map signaled escape pods fleeing the dreadnaught, with life signs.

"Greetings, I am Sharif Rebhorn of the Miraluka flagship, the Fleet Mother." The blind man said. "May I offer my thanks for dealing with the Dominion giving us chase, and our assurances that we have no intentions of trespassing in Miraluka territory. We have only come this close because we were being pushed."

So, they were starting off with trying to make it all sound like a big misunderstanding. Playing ignorant, saving face, and giving them the option of going along with the story to look like the good guys. If they went along with it, they would look like they were being good Samaritans, but if they went against it, it would make them look like bullies.

The first move was made, and Kota tried not to smile. It was a good move.

"You're welcome." Carth Onasi nodded. "However, I regret to inform you the Dominion were on your tail for a reason. Among the 'cargo' you picked up, you have a stowaway. A terrorist, to be specific, who has run rampant for the last few months."

And the counter move. Kota let himself smile. This was fun.

"What the hell?" Izthark muttered quietly. He looked lost.

Great, Mandalorians are so blunt and honest about their intentions that they tend to miss out on nuances and political talk.

"Stay quiet, Onasi knows what he is doing." Kota whispered.

"Uh-oh…" Falon shifted. That single phrase caught Kota's attention, and he motioned for Falon to escort him to the side of the room while the others talked.

"What is it?" Kota asked.

"Something is about to happen. Shift all attention to the asteroid field."

Kota patted him on the shoulder and glanced back up to the talking. Onasi had experience in politics as a high admiral of the former unified Republic, and the blind man clearly had experience on his end. The two were still doing moves and counter moves with their words. The end result was the Miraluka denied Varus while Onasi was trying to corner them into giving him up or admitting to rescuing him, and being punished for it. And Izthark was lost in all of it. Rex looked like he understood what was going on, but couldn't think of a way to insert himself without fumbling over his own tongue.

Kota motioned for Rex to come over and join them at the holographic map. "What's going on? We're in the middle of something here."

Falon motioned to the map. "Something is about to happen, something big. You need to get the ships to get ready to move in. A new ship is going to appear."

That got Rex's attention. "Okay, where?"

"Uh… I can't see?" Falon reminded him. "I don't know where in the asteroid field."

"Then can you at least tell me what to look for."

"Movement. Ten seconds."

"Right…" Rex muttered. He pointed to a soldier and signaled for him to get in contact with the rest of the fleet.

"Oh… this is not good!" Falon blurted out. "We need to cut transmission and get to the Miraluka NOW!"

"What? Why?!"

"Just do it! Two seconds."

Rex looked to Kota, and Kota looked at Falon. Falon was visibly tense. Something was going on in his head. Something they were all missing.

"Captain! We have movement in the asteroid field! And unknown ship has appeared!" Someone called out.

"Do it." Kota said to Rex.

"What? Get me a visual." Izthark ordered. "How could a ship just appear in the asteroid field?"

"I… think it was already there, sir."

Rex and Kota returned to the top of the bridge just as the transmission ended. Judging from the faces on everyone, it hadn't gone where people wanted, and this new arrival was stirring things up. Rex said, "We need to get to the Miraluka immediately, Falon sees something."

Izthark looked at him skeptically. "Okay, how long?"

"Minute, thirty." Falon said.

"Not long enough to get close nor a proper firing lock."

"It's not that, we need to save them."

The crewman said, "Sir! We have an incoming transmission from the new ship!"

* * *

"Sir! An unknown ship has appeared in the asteroid field!"

Carth Onasi glanced at the crewmate. "I'm sorry, Admiral, but it seems other matters require my attention, but don't worry, I will get back to you in a minute." In other words, don't move. We'll continue this in a moment. He cut off the transmission. "Get me a visual!"

The visual was one that he could never forget. "WHAT IS THAT THING DOING HERE?!" He barked.

"Sir… I think… it was part of the asteroid field."

Another one said, "Admiral, we have an incoming transmission."

"Let's see it."

* * *

"Admiral Rebhorn, a ship has appeared in close vicinity! Oh… It's coming at us!"

"Weapons?" Rebhorn asks.

"Negative. No shields either, but it's huge. It's a full dreadnaught!"

"On the projector." The water-projector shifts and closes in. Inside of the asteroid field heading straight for us a ship twice our size. That's big. Wait… I know that ship! It's the Ravager! What's the Ravager doing here?

"Admiral, incoming transmission from the unknown ship."

"It's the Ravager." I correct him.

Rebhorn straightens. "What?"

"It's the Ravager." I repeat. A smile slowly comes over my lips. I haven't seen the ship in years. I miss her… That might explain the slight tingle in my ear. The ship is calling for me.

Rebhorn was silent a long time, but finally he said, "Friendly?"

"Definitely!"

"How long until the ship is on top of us?"

"Thirty-seconds." Someone answers.

Rebhorn sighed. "Alright. Disperse the ships, but keep the Fleet Mother here. Let's see what the Ravager does. I'm gambling on you, Keeper, don't prove me wrong."

"I won't." I assure him.

Suddenly, the ship splits in five pieces and surrounds the Fleet Mother on all sides. I hear the faint hum of the Ravager increase in pitch almost enough that I can feel it's mind touching my own. It's been lonely. "Varus?" Rebhorn asks worriedly.

"It's fine! Don't do anything."

Rebhorn doesn't say anything, but the crew is worried and he fidgets. The Mandalorian fleet positions itself to aim at us, and the New Republic hasn't moved. I feel myself sweat a bit. I trust my ship, but what is she thinking? I reach back to the Ravager and mentally stroke it. It reacts to my touch like a drowning man, grabbing onto me and wanting me to return home.

But where is home now? With the Miraluka who are going out of their way for me? Or is it my ship? Or is it off with Tree-Hugger, wherever he is. Or Mother Hen? I know my home is Koj and Squirt, but they will follow me because I'm as much their home as they are mine.

"Sir, the transmission?"

"Right, pull it up." The Admiral responds.

The water-projector changes and… That's me! Squirt looks between me and the projector and me and the projector and says, "Uncy Varus?"

"Yeah… I'm right here." I assure her.

The 'me' on the transmission from the Ravager is wearing clothes like what I used to wear. How is this possible? I'm right here. 'Me' smirks and says, "It has come to my attention that you are after me. Let us all put the matter to rest and conclude that unless you all cease and depart I will crush this ship like a soda can. You have one minute, meat bags."

Meat bags?! It's HK! Oh, I love that droid!

The transmission cut, and the next thing I know I am being dragged across the ground by the Force and lifted into the air in front of a very VERY angry Admiral. "What did you just do?!" Rebhorn yells.

"UNCY VARUS!" Squirt squeals behind me, but Ashley grabs her and holds her back.

"You said for me to trust the ship, as your profile discusses it as being yours, but now we are sitting here while a… a CLONE of yours has us by the neck!" He blinks in surprise when he sees I'm struggling to breathe. "Sorry. Forgot about your neck."

He puts me down on his chair gently and I sit here gasping for breath. I gasp out. "The Ravager… is MY ship… She knows I'm here… She will never harm us… and that impersonator is a droid." I take a deep breathe. "Damn my neck hurts…"

"Sorry…" He mutters, but continues glaring at me.

"And the droid… is mine. His designation HK-47, protocol assassination droid. Specializes in killing, assassination, and murder in more ways than even I know."

"Why does that doesn't make me feel any better!"

Right, it won't. "Listen…" I say slowly. "You have no reason to trust me and every justified reason to shoot me out of the nearest airlock, regardless of what my mother wants, but if you are ever going to trust me, it's now. I am connected with my ship in ways no one else can be, and I am the droid's master. I hear you are a calculating man. Risk versus reward. Well, now we stand to lose everything and gain everything. Because if there is one thing I know about HK… it doesn't bluff."

"It will destroy us." He concluded.

"HK has no morals or conscious beyond its function and orders from its Master and neither does my ship, yet I know they won't do something to jeopardize me. The two must have a plan in mind. Get me to the Ravager and I'll order him to not crush this ship-city…"

"Why can't you just tell the ship from here not to?"

"The face… the fact that HK impersonated me, it is drawing the enemies attention from you. If your transmission gets caught by the others, its blown. Get me to the ship. Prove HK's plan right in that I am not here. Make yourselves look innocent."

Rebhorn holds me by the scruff of the neck for a good solid minute as I see the wheels churning in his brain. He is clearly the intellectual type, Nihilus was the same way. "Well... The good news is that the minute is up, and HK hasn't crushed us. The enemy is backing off."

"The Clans don't negotiate with hostage situations… They will return."

"Then we, meaning both the Fleet Mother and Ravager need to get out of here ASAP and find somewhere they won't find us, but first I need to get to my ship."

Rebhorn releases me. "I'm not a gambling man, Keeper. I don't do 'all in's… But this is the second time in a matter of minutes you have forced me to. Don't make me regret it."

I nod. "Can I have my wheelchair back?"

Rebhorn nods in Ashley's direction and they bring the wheelchair back to me. We get me situated. Rebhorn says, "I'll play the hostage, Keeper. Get your ship and droid pacified."

"I will." I say as Ashley turns me around.

We leave. The Ravager pokes around inside my head, and I return the gesture warmly. I tell her I'm on my way, and the ship practically dances in joy. Hopefully HK and the Ravager communicate enough for HK to know I'm on my way as well, and it won't do anything stupid until I arrive.

Or it will wait on that until as soon as I do.

"I'm proud of you." Ashley says.

"What for?"

"You actually admitted she is your mother."

* * *

**Note: **

**EGADS! I just realized something.**

**This story is in Movies Star Wars**

**Ok fine. No problem. I wanted that.**

**BUT! WAIT FOR IT!**

**There are a ton of Galen Marek stories in:**

**Games Star Wars**

**I ORIGINALLY LOOKED THERE! I looked for "The Force Unleashed" under the game category when I originally started my In the Path of Series, but noooo, I had to be an idiot and forget it belonged under GameStarWars. **

**Now I'm depressed… I write to have fun and give people a few minutes of pleasure in reading something epic, and therefore I want maximum exposure! More people having fun requires more people! Logical. But no, I had to stick my story in the wrong section!**

**I'm such an idiot…**

**Anyway. Someone reviewed that my story is boring. As depressed as that has made me, considering I hold myself to a very high standard, I also greatly appreciate it. It's a kick in the pants to get things back up to where it needs to be.**

**But there are a few things I want to be clear about.**

**Path of Revan and Path of Ravager are two completely different stories. Do not compare them. Path of Revan was the best written story I have ever done, I doubt I could meet the same standard of quality and epicness even if I truly tried, and with Ravager, I'm not. I want Path of Ravager to have its own unique feel, flavor, pace, and story plot. Path of Revan had a ton of subplots due to Nihilus bringing down Coruscant, and there was a lot of worry about Varus regaining his memory and feeling betrayed. Path of Ravager lacks both of those things. There will be subplots, really epic ones in my opinion, but different ones, and that is the key: They are different. It will feel different.**

**I also am making the pace a lot slower because I want there to be plenty of character interaction, drama, and development. There will be entire episodes that are completely STUPID and pointless and lack action solely because I want them to be fun, relaxed, and enjoyable breaks from the insanity. While at the same time having lots of episodes that will hopefully leave people crying and on the edge of their seat. (they have been for me just from thinking them up.)**

**With that said, I also want to hear when things are bad, boring, or not enjoyable to read. If I didn't want it to be enjoyable, I wouldn't bother writing. I would leave the plots inside my head and sit around laughing and crying at the internal movie theatre I have in my brain.**

**So PLEASE, tell me what you think. I want to know everything you enjoyed, and everything you did not. Because if people actually tell me it's bad, and what is bad, then I can actually go back and fix things. While if I know what works, I can know to keep it going.**

_**Review please. I want to know how I'm doing! Every review makes my day. :)**_


	17. Ep03 - Rise of the Ravager Part 4 of 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, so no sue!**

**Remember to Review. I want to know what you think and how the chapter is to you. Is it good? Is it bad? Anything I need to know? Any ideas or things you want to see in the future?**

* * *

**Episode 3 - Rise of the Ravager Part 4/?**

* * *

"Any change?"

"None." Falon replied. He sat in silent meditation behind the other's on the bridge. They had immediately pulled back after Varus threatened to kill those people. Suffice to say, they were not happy.

Falon thought he knew Varus. The teenager had been crazy, fun, and unlike any other Jedi he had ever met. If only he had known back then how right he was. They thought Varus had been taken by the Miraluka, but he wasn't. He had been hiding out in this system on his ship, waiting for more victims to claim. Yet again, Varus had proven himself above Falon's thoughts. Falon squeezed his hands tightly. Again, he had been proven wrong and been outplayed by the Sith.

"Now?" Master Kota asked after a few seconds.

Falon reached into the Force and saw the dimensions of time laid out before him. The Force-Falon asked for scouts to be sent out for him to observe, and at the end of his visions, every dimension ended much the same way.

"Still no change. The hostages are unharmed, although establishing a call will be successful, and any maneuvers you make to go around the Ravager will end in us being caught."

"That's something at least." Izthark muttered darkly. He inwardly fumed, and Falon felt it mirror his own aggravation.

This situation reminded him of how useless he was, and the Jedi Padawan felt the cage of his own expectations squeeze around him. He was better than this. He had to do something.

Falon remembered the battle of Coruscant, standing there observing while all around him people died. Because of him, he had failed to see Varus' participation. Because he was too close to the Sith, he failed to see. Again, Falon was useless. The thought entered his limbs and made them ache in need for action, to move, to do something, to take control of the situation and send it down the proper path. Paths that only he could see.

Kota was a powerful Jedi, but he lacked the foresight to see all possibilities and comprehend hundreds of destinies at once. His Master was human, after all, and mistakes happen. Mistakes Kota cannot see until it is too late.

Mistakes Falon could.

Izthark was a strong Mandalorian, and Rex was an honorable captain of men, but they too were capable of so many mistakes simply because they too could not comprehend alternatives and see paths laid out for them to choose from. They depended on him to see things before they do, and then to actually take the time to explain to them how to fix it. But the problem with that is it would only take away several valuable seconds to explain properly.

Explanations Falon comprehended immediately.

Falon sighed. If only he wasn't blind…

Again, he looked into the future through his foresight, and saw many paths that could be taken. Most were the exact same, and all ended with there being no change to the current situation.

But there was one path that struck him. It stuck out, at first just like a sock in the laundry, but then as he pulled it out and looked it over and explored it's path, the possibilities it offered were… convenient.

But no, Kota would be displeased.

But it could fix the situation too…

Falon returned his thoughts to those around him and listened as they discussed the situation. They were truly lost, scrambling around trying to find a way to deal with this without causing everything to blow up, when the solution was so obvious.

Every second, every possibility they went over, every mistake they could make only brought this alternate path more vividly to his mind.

The alternate path would be on him in seconds, and the closer the moment came, the better it looked. It was the solution. Falon had to choose between an infinite number of paths that lead ultimately to nothing, and one that lead to fixing everything.

The choice wasn't as hard to make as he thought.

"I'm going to use the bathroom." Falon stood.

"Alright, be back soon." Kota said offhandedly.

Falon bowed in the direction of his Master's voice and walked away. Rex escorted him down the hall. They turned down the bend and walked by the bathroom. "Falon, the bathroom is here."

"I know." Falon turned around, and brought his hand up. "Sorry about this." and used the Force to knock him out. Rex collapsed in a heap and Falon dragged him into the bathroom. He stuck him in a stall and locked the door.

It was time he did something about this.

Falon knew he had precious minutes before anyone wondered where he was or where Rex was, and so hurried to the hanger. Every few seconds he looked into the Force to see if he was caught, and breathed in relief when he wasn't. He would have a lot of explaining to do when he got back, but he would do so proudly. This was bigger than him and a single lecture.

"You." Falon pointed to a pilot's general direction. "Fly me."

"Uh, yes sir!" The pilot responded.

"You're going on quick scouting to probe the Ravager's detection."

"Understood, this way."

They made their way to the pilot's craft and entered in. The pilot asked for confirmation to proceed, and didn't think to mention Falon was with him. They left the Oda Scythe and flew towards the distant planet. "Turn off your comms." Falon ordered. "The Ravager is tracking that."

"But, won't that cut us off from the Scythe?"

"That's why I'm here." Falon sat back in the seat and contemplated the many futures before him. In his mind he saw a chess board. Each destiny had different moves and counter moves. But unknown for both players, he decided what they could do and not do.

Despite the pilot's ignorance, Falon truly was there to help him keep from being tracked. Every time he concluded they were tracked with his Force foresight, he had the pilot try something different. For him it took hours, while in reality it was merely minutes before they came upon the Ravager, somehow completely undetected.

"Wow… lucky." The pilot murmured.

"Hmm…" Falon commented. "Take us near the bridge."

"Sir?"

"Do it."

"Aye… sir." The pilot said with clear hesitance.

He brought them in to the hanger and Falon climbed out. "If you get caught, depart immediately. Don't endanger yourself. I'm going to see what I can do."

"Right… I'll just… sit here. In the spooky ship." The pilot looked around fearfully. "Alone."

Falon rolled his dead-eyes and entered the Force. Dozens of himself walked around exploring the room. Upon finding the wall, he looked for the door. Upon finding the door, he looked for a way to open it. Upon finding how to open the door, he explored it's depths down dozens of passage ways. To anyone else he looked hesitant. To himself, he was a one-man army.

* * *

Carth Onasi was, again, thrown for a loop.

His career as an admiral was simple. Protect the innocent. Then Nihilus and his accursed Ravager appeared and all efforts to hold him back was like telling Death itself to give them another second of time. All of his efforts were wasted. Planet after planet, entire civitlizations, all were lost on his watch and nothing he did could stop it. Participating in the destruction of the Ravager had been a bitter-sweet day. Even though it included a promotion, despite the equal participation of the Revanchist and Mandalorian Clans.

Only to find the Ravager return. It suddenly appeared over Coruscant, broken and damaged, and attacked. Sending it crashing down had not been his doing, but just hearing about it made his skin crawl and his blood boil. It was like fighting a ghost or demon.

Only, again, to find the Ravager somehow put itself back together on Coruscant's surface the day they lost the planet, and pull off a Warp jump while still in the atmosphere.

Only, AGAIN, to find it occupied by a few Jedi in a nearby system. The ship was broken in pieces and dead. It had next to no power anymore, and was sent to a scrap yard.

Now here it was standing in his way, doing things he could barely raise his hand to stop. If he tried to destroy it or separate it from the hostages, it would destroy them.

The ship was a living nightmare, the single most annoying thing he had ever seen, his greatest failure, and a demon that haunted him everywhere he went. The only part of him it had yet to defeat and humiliate was his dreams, no, it reserved that for the time he was awake.

"I'm sorry, Admiral," Onasi said. "There is not much we can do."

"I understand." The Miraluka responded.

"If it's any consolation, we will be destroying the Dominion soon. It's crippled as it is." The ship was in flames and on the verge of exploding.

"Thank you, Admiral. What of my sabeutors? I sent a squad over to stop the Dominion."

That might explain the fight Onasi saw on the bridge. Interesting squad they sent. "Escape pods were released not long ago. Life signs. We'll pick them up."

"Thank you."

Fascinating how quickly the tides turned. One moment Onasi thought, based on facts he had received, that Varus Wynn was on the Miraluka, only to find them trapped by the same person. Perhaps this whole situation was a trap from the beginning. Perhaps Varus was the source of that information through a subtle leak in order to draw them here.

It was hard to say anymore what that brat could do. He was as good at putting the Admiral to shame as his old master had been.

"Not at all. It's the least we can do." Onasi sighed. "I apologize for before. We have been fooled."

"If I were in your position, I would probably have been even rougher."

Onasi frowned. "Yeah… well. We're not out of this yet. Has there been any moves from the Ravager?"

"No. We're safe, all things considered. We can't move. The ship is hugging our hull." Truly. If Onasi looked at it another way, it was almost like the Ravager was acting as some kind of exo-skeleton around the Fleet Mother. If it squeezed at all, the ship would be crushed.

The Mandalorian's had backed off completely, but Onasi was hesitant to follow. He would need to call Command and get orders. They may refuse to deal with terrorists, but this was different from any hostage situation he had ever seen. Most of the time you could use a sniper or insertion squad, but this was a whole ship. It could very likely go into Warp on its own and drag the Fleet Mother with it, and it's sensors were everywhere. Sabotage was out of the question.

* * *

What amounts to the streets of the city-ship is empty of pedestrians. A siren goes off at regular intervals. It's a rather spooky place to see after having been in it while it was occupied. Feels like a ghost town. Every minute we spend walking, or in my case, being pushed, earns more unease on my part. I can't turn my head to look down various passage ways or alleys, not with this neck brace. (Thank God, I only have to wear it a few days… My neck itches.)

Before long our quaint walk entered the central hanger. To me it's a hanger, but to them, it's probably their version of a highway or bus departure. Conveniently, it's also where the Ravager parked its open door.

Every step we take closer to the ship, the more I feel her in my mind. I've never had a pet, but I'd like to think she is like a dog/cat/dragon thing that is sitting at the front door wagging its tail. The feeling is sure there. The ship is patient, ever so patiently waiting obediently, but she feels me drawing closer and is only getting more anxious, and its rubbing off on me.

I spent practically every moment of my life as a Sith in her belly, learning her secrets, being protected, and being kept safe; or as safe can be when your master is a Sith Lord. Every secret in my life is known by my ship. Every nightmare, every mournful cry, every desire, every rant. Every whisper I've hid from my master has been in its corners. The ship has never been able to hold me like a mother or sit in my lap like a cat, but it's always been there.

Not even Ahsoka and Skywalker know me like the ship does.

It's like the ship knew the hanger was here, because she put one of her open ports right up to the hanger ray shielding.

Ashley mutters, "Uh-oh. We can't turn off the ray shielding to get through without turning it off… and suffocating us all in the process."

The Ravager has to know that… So why would she…

Unless that doesn't matter.

"I think… that I can." I muse outloud.

"What? You can't be serious."

I roll my wheelchair without her up to the ray shield. It stands out in a massive red color, and the door to the Ravager is just on the other side. I could put my hand out and touch her if I wanted to.

I put my hand out and release a wave of lightning into the shield. It ripples, but little more than that. A stronger wave of lightning causes stronger ripples, and I slowly turn up the power more and more and- a bolt goes completely through the shield and hits the inside of the next room. Ashley gasps.

Perhaps I can.

"Squirt." I say.

"Yea?" Her little voice says behind me.

"Stay with Ashley, I'm going to go on a bit of a walk. I promise I'll be back, and we'll go make sure Koj is back for dinner. Can you do that?"

She hesitates, but quietly says she will.

Her attachment to me is unnatural. I realize she has spent every waking moment of her life either next to me or Koj, for safety reasons, but Ashley is right. It sounds wrong for her to sound so hesitant and fearful all the time.

Anyway, those are thoughts for another time. I have a droid to say hi to. I'll see how he's doing, ask casually if he's been going around killing any Sith Lords and Mandalorian Duchess's over a side of tea, and while I'm at it I might see if he could be so kind as to not completely pulverize my people. What could go wrong?

"Ashley, I'll be back. Don't follow me. I think I'm the only one who can enter through here, and the Ravager knows it."

"Alright, be careful."

"Yeah…" I look the ray shield over without moving my neck. If I didn't have the wheelchair or neckbrace, this would be a lot easier. But as it is, I'm going to need to improvise.

I release my lightning back onto myself. I've gotten the hang of holding back on my natural electricity, but now I need it back. I feel the air warm up around my skin and Squirt squeals in surprise as a spark hits near them. Ashley takes her away and in a few seconds its just me and my ship.

"Hey, Ravager. It's been a while, girl." I chuckle. The ship practically purrs in my mind, but it's still scratching at the door. The Ravager moves slightly and nudges the ray shield. "It's okay, I'm coming." I laugh. "Just give me a moment. Haven't been using my power for an hour yet and already I have to do something I've never thought of before." I glance along the ray shield. I doubt I will be able to perfectly create a hole in it, but if I can cover my body and wheelchair in enough electricity, it should work.

Provided I move fast. The slightest lapse in concentration will end up with me… uh…

Let's not think about that.

"Okay…" I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. "Here we go." I close my eyes and feel down into my center. For as long as I remember, my center has been dark and a combination of void and lightning. An ironic thing I've learned about lightning is that it travels most easily through nothingness, and can possibly be contained by that nothingness. At least that is always how my center has felt to me. My sins, my loneliness, my regrets all twisted and churned into true nothingness that, ironically, fuels and contains my inner spark and desire to be free of the very containment that fuels it.

Now it feels different. The void and lightning are still there, and there are dark corners, but there is also something that wasn't there six years ago. Now I see faces. Tree-Hugger, Mother Hen, Squirt, Koj… even the woman I am considering to call mother. I see Visas smirking and having a dark sense of humor. I see Cupcake trying to kill me after I mess with him, yet again, or challenging me to a duel over who is alpha male. I see the Three Stooges worship the very ground I walk on, and me being annoyed by it every step of the way.

And I see Nihilus. Like a shadow hidden just behind everything, he is there. Every good memory, every smile, every joke is all foreshadowed by his presence. I don't claim to be an artist nor a piece of art, but he once compared who I am to the result of his teachings and my reaction to said teachings.

I see inside me so many people I know now, people I want to share with the Ravager and help make the ship less lonely than it was, both literally and figuratively. I see many versions of myself. I also see Revan.

Revan was a true champion of both Sith and Jedi alike. He only became stronger afterwards when he came to acknowledge both sides. He kept his dark side tamed and his light side sharpened and used them both in tandem like a perfect spiral. His power, at the end of the memory, was anything beyond anyone I have ever known. Nihilus, Skywalker, myself. We're all nothing compared to what he became. (Although he never tried consuming planets with his mind alone, and never grew from it like Nihilus did.)

There is so much more inside me than the nothingness and lightning that was everything to me before. I've been gone for five years. For so long while in prison, I thought I could run away from Starkiller, and so I fell into being lethargic and uncaring, because I incidentally ran away from myself. I'm not Starkiller, but I emotionally ran away from every other one of my sides as well.

I can't be Starkiller, but I also can't be Varus. Varus was just an empty side of me that fell into a dream world where I had a team and a place amongst monks, such as it was. Varus was a lie. But Starkiller was wrong. And Galen…

Unlike what I tell people, Galen isn't dead. He never died. I just gave him a candy bar, tied him up, shoved him in a closet at the bottom of a dark cellar, pointed a gun at his face, and told him to shut up. He never died. Technically. Just probably on the verge of starving to death.

The only one who knows that is the Ravager. Even Nihilus doesn't know that. Perhaps… it's time I let him out for some air. Varus can exist, in how I am to Jedi. Starkiller can exist, inside a very thick cage. Galen can exist, for I am a Miraluka and am with them.

Besides. I can't exactly expect my mother to call me Starkiller now can I? Maybe Light's Bane, I've always thought that sounded cooler.

Like a band aid being ripped off, I rip away the nothingness and feel the lightning loses its containment. It courses through every cell in my body. It's so bright I have to close my eyes, and odds are I am glowing like the sun to a Miraluka.

I pour everything I have into it, fueling my lightning, my electricity, my energy through every muscle fiber in my body and into the metal of my wheelchair. The seat becomes scorching hot and I refrain from touching the bars as it might very well be red hot.

I push myself into the ray shield with the Force and keep myself focused on this for several seconds.

The sound of one ship is replaced by the sound of another ship. I count to three and open my eyes. And… … Arms, legs, head. Yeah, I'm not incinerated by the ray shield. That's nice. Not that I was worried, nope, not at all. I knew I had this.

I just need to stop for a breather and settle my raging heart. My neck hurts again. I feel the Ravager sweep over me like a tidal wave of hugs.

A metal plate falls off the nails and hits the ground. The sudden echoing sound scares the crap out of me, yet despite the pain and exhaustion and hysteria I had, and the last couple years of frustration from infuriating slave bosses, I laugh, truly laugh at myself. I must have jumped a foot in the chair.

It's nice to be home.

* * *

**Note: A bit short, but that's to be expected for these long extended episodes. :P**

**I'm also having a bit of a hard time writing while dealing with other concerns in RL.**

_**Review please. I want to know how I'm doing! Every review makes my day. :)**_


	18. Ep03 - Rise of the Ravager Part 5 of 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, so no sue!**

**I don't get it people.**

**Is it bad?**

**Is it good?**

**I've been told it's bad, but no reason why.**

**I've been told it's good, but people just disappear.**

**What's going on? Is it bad? Is it good? I'm trying to not be upset at my own writing, but it's difficult to know what people think anymore when they suddenly all go silent on me. I like talking to people about my story. I like being able to talk to people about something with the same interest.**

**Now it's like… I'm all alone…**

**All I know is that I love writing this story. So I'll press on anyway. I'm not changing it until you tell me why it's bad. Even if you people hate it.**

**Your loss.**

* * *

**Episode 3 - Rise of the Ravager Part 5/5**

* * *

"HK?"

The other me turns around and looks at me. I push myself into the bridge skeptically. Either this is HK, or someone impersonating an impersonating HK, or either way I am not sure what to do. It's been a few years, has HK turned on me, or is it still my droid? Is it HK?

'My' skin ripples and a grin appears on 'my' face. "Master, it is good to… WHO HAS DONE THIS TO YOU!? What Meat-bag has rendered you crippled! I shall tear him apart limb from limb and beat him to death with his own skull!" The other me pulls out a blaster, loads it, and looks about ready to kill something at the word 'go'.

Well, that answers that. I laugh gleefully. "HK! It is so good to see you!" HK doesn't move. "Okay… HK, I wish we could have a lot more catching up, but that will have to wait." HK still doesn't move. Time to speak a language this thing can understand. I push myself over by the throne and gently move myself into it.

I miss my seat. "MASTER! MASTER! MASTER!" A swarm of miniature flying droids circles around my seat. One of them drops into my lap and has a 'Q.Q' face.

"Nice to be back, girl. I missed you." I pet the droid and it goes: ':D' They all do. It's a little creepy seeing a dozen flying droids with faces on the screen like that. I know it's the way the Ravager is, but it's something I will have to get used to again.

HK puts away its rifle and its body ripples. After a moment it replaces its form from me to the HK-47 I know. "Let me guess, you upgraded yourself with PROXY gear?" I ask.

"Yes. Most of this unit is PROXY." HK looks down at itself and flexes its limbs. "As much as this unit lacks strong gears, it makes up for in dexterity and lightsaber training patches."

"Oh!" I smirk. "You can use lightsabers now?" It nods. "I'd hate to be your target. I doubt you can lose to anything now, Jedi or not."

"That's the plan."

Still, I'm here for a reason. Can't just let it kill my people to save me. "HK! Mission!"

"Yes, Master!"

"Don't crush the Miraluka fleet."

"Awww…" It pouts.

"I'm sorry, I know you were looking forward to it."

"I was…" It admits. "I was going to crush them like a tin can, string up their bodies, hang them on the outside of the ship, then take the infiltrator, cut off his face, and-"

"Infiltrator?" I ask.

That doesn't sound good, did the Mandalorians or New Republic sent a sabotage team?

The Ravager says, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Infiltrator heading this way! All attempts to redirect or remove has been evaded effectively! Infiltrator possibly a Jedi!"

"Oh?" I smirk. "This should be fun. HK, stay here. I'm going to stretch my limbs, so to speak. First, help me here."

HK helps me into the wheelchair. Wheelchair or not, I can still whoop a Jedi. That should only be more humiliating for him.

A Ravager mini-droid, aka faerie, perches itself on my shoulder and the rest hover right behind me. With nothing but the Force, I push myself down the hall. The faerie directs me in the direction of the Jedi, and before long I come face to face with him.

The first thing I note is how the man doesn't look the least bit surprised by me, the wheelchair, or the fact that I found him. Almost like he wanted to be found or could see me coming.

The second thing is the armor. It is reminiscent of Mandalorian design, but the helmet is definitely interesting. Most Mandalorians have a visor, this lacks that. It's a blank face without anything to see through. Blind or camera screen?

The third thing is the Force. The Force is definietely with this person, but its… different. I've felt a lot of Jedi in my time, as well as a lot of Sith. The way the Force feels around both is interesting to sit back and muse over.

Around Jedi, the Force feels free, flowing, and chaotic in its lack of order. Around Sith, the Force feels strained, forced, and ordered in its 'slavery'.

At the same time, Jedi usually 'feel' like they have good will and a desire to protect, while Sith are just malicious and ready to kill, murder, and maim at the drop of a hat.

The way the Force is around this person is both Jedi and Sith. It has the protection aspect, but it's forced. The Force screams to be freed, because however this person uses the Force, it is against the will of the Force.

Does this Jedi take control of the Force rather than let it flow? Interesting.

The Force wants to be freed of him? I'll happily help it along.

I bring my hands together thoughtfully and smirk intimidatingly. The only thing screwing up this image is the neck brace. "I'm sorry. I think you took a wrong turn about… twenty light years ago. Are you lost?"

"No. I know exactly what I came here for." Definitely a him, young too. I'd say younger teens, if the voice and height mean anything.

"And what would that be? If you tell me, I might be able to help you."

"I'm only going to say this once, let the Miraluka go!" A lightsaber appears in his hand and flares on. Blue.

I shrug. "Okay."

And the Jedi flinches. Didn't expect that answer? Ha! In your face! "I-impossible…" The Jedi mutters and he hesitates.

I look at him curiously. Despite how oddly he is acting, did he really think it was impossible for me to let them go? Well, considering HK's latest shot at showbiz earlier, I would be thinking the same thing. So… can't really blame him.

Oh, wait. Yes, I can!

Why? Hmm…

Forget it, I don't need a reason. "Jedi, as much as I am sure the Miraluka appreciate your efforts, it is wasted. Still, I recognize your intent. So, I will give you this one chance to depart. I suggest you take it."

"Not until you pay! You have much to answer for, and you will be brought to justice!" He yells and without further ado, he charges.

I sigh. Kids these days. He was starting to spout light vs dark crap-o-la like so many Jedi before him. With every step he takes, I let the energy in me open up a bit more.

When my power reaches the proper point, I shrug the faerie off my shoulder and slowly stand on my feet. I'm wobbly, but can manage.

He comes at me, and uses Force Push. I knock it aside like it's nothing, and nearly fall over from the effort of swinging my hand. I release a bolt of lightning in return. He grinds to a holt and blocks it with his lightsaber.

As much as I would normally like to play and exercise my power, right now I'm on a timer. My neck is hurting the more strain I put on myself and every movement I make is not helping. Just lifting my arm has me so unbalanced, I could fall over. Who knew you rely so much on your head for balance?

"Listen, Jedi." I release another bolt and two to keep him back. "You're skilled enough to block lightning, but you're too stupid and young if you think you have the slightest chance here. Judging from the fact there is only one of you, and your young and stupid, I'd say you are a Jedi Padawan without permission to be here."

"Is talk all you do?!" He snarls.

I can't help sighing. I was talking for his own good. A lightly-powered Push on him knocks him back several feet, but he remains standing. If putting very little effort into a Push has those results, does he really think he stands a chance? I hit it right on the head with him. He is definitely here without his Master's permission.

"First, Jedi. I'm a Sith assassin who has killed Jedi Masters at their strongest and on their home turf. I can kill you on a bad day while being crippled by just looking at you if I was serious. Second, this is my turf. Meaning I have the advantage. This is your last warning."

His response is to charge at me again. Really? I've pushed him back several times now. Running at me like an idiot will get him nowhere. He wants to be a typical Jedi who won't listen? That's fine. I played nice.

I infuse myself in more lightning than normal and put my hand on the wall. I release a huge burst of electricity into the metal hall, and as soon as the ripple hits him he falls on his face.

I tenderly walk over to him and kick him in the face, just because. "Ravager, take off his helmet. I want to see his face."

The swarm of faeries fly over and shoots beam of light on his head. I don't know the difference between the various lights they use, since they all are the same color, but they can grab, cut, and repair things like the light is the faeries hands. They slice open the helmet at the neck and peel it off.

I gasp. My legs shake numbly and I fall back into the wheelchair. The faeries must have dragged it over.

"Falcon?" I ask. What happened to him! Why did he come after me like that!? His eyes are covered in a cloth. I know what's there, but I have to know. I ask the Ravager to take the cloth off, and they do.

He is missing both of his eyes and the skin around his eye-sockets is black and scarred. I haven't seen scars like that since Mother.

This is what Nihilus did to him just from a single touch.

"Oh… Falcon… I'm so sorry…" I bow my head. It's not my fault this happened to him, the Nihilus thing wasn't my fault, and knocking him unconscious was part-him-being-stupid and part-I-didn't-know, but as a friend it hurts to know what has happened to him. I clench my fists. "Are you so hurt by Nihilus that you would come after me?" I beg him for an answer, but he's unconscious. I won't be getting one anytime soon.

I just sit there staring at him. I don't know how long. Minutes? hours? All I know is the pain of being betrayed by a friend.

"Ravager…" I manage to say at last. "Tell HK to come clean this up. Throw him in a cell and lock him down." I stress. "Alive. I'm going to want answers later." The faeries make some motion that looks like saluting and flies away. One of them sits on my shoulders and coos softly. I pet it but my eyes don't leave Falcon.

He's grown so much. Have things changed this much in five years?

A chill goes down my spine. How have Tree-Hugger and Ahsoka changed? Am I still… part of their team?

* * *

Falon snapped awake, instantly remembering the battle. He had taken on Varus Wynn in order to end the hostage situation, and lost. A quick check of his muscles confirmed his body was still intact, but where was he?

Falon reached into the Force to begin his routine of searching out hundreds of destinies to gather information, only to scream in pain as he felt his power snap. A pain rippled through his head unlike anything he had ever felt. It felt like his head was going to explode. He struggled to raise his hands and press back against his skull in vain effort, but he was chained roughly to the floor.

After a minute of struggling to bear with the pain, his breathing settled. The air around him was cold as ice, yet without the sharpness associated with ice. Instead the coldness felt empty and distant, like a hungering beast devouring his energy and heat.

Falon rolled onto his knees and forced his shaking limbs up. He felt blood go down his legs and arms, and tasted it on his lips going down his face. It was not so much as to be dripping, but he had not been put here gently. He probably had a cracked rib and his body still tingled from the lightning attack.

Falon reached into the Force again, only to be pushed back by the cold void pressing back against him. It entered his mind and body and kept his calls from being answered by the constant echo of the Force he was used to feeling. Still, Falon was a fighter. He refused to give in and struggled through it.

Falon pushed through the vacuum keeping him from his power and finally felt a small remnant of the Force. He called on it to answer, to give him the visions that he might see and work through this situation.

And came up with nothing.

Blank, blackness, no response. The Force offered no visions. The Force refused to answer.

Falon grit his teeth angrily. He shouldn't have lost. With his power to find alternative solutions to every problem, he should have been able to find a way around every attack Varus threw at him. Instead, his visions lacked answers. His visions did not show him a single time what would happen properly.

It was… almost like the Force was trying to deceive him on purpose.

Terror splashed over him like cold water and with it his body jumped into action. He ran his head into wall after wall. At last finding the door, he struggled to work it, but with his hands tied behind his back and the Force having abandoned him, he was left only able to beat his head into it desperately.

He lost himself to animalistic instinct, screaming and angry, trying to beat his way out of the cage he was in. He refused to stop and think. He refused to stop and consider and realize the reality of his situation. Not until blood poured down his forehead and he fell to his scraped knees.

He was blind, empty, and alone.

* * *

"Keeper."

I raise a hand to signal for HK to stop pushing me, and wait. Baby Back Ribs walks up to me, and if I didn't know better I would say he is smiling. Yeah, definitely an illusion.

"Well, Keeper." He greets warmly. "It would appear my expectations of you were wrong."

I don't know whether to be shocked out of my mind or grateful. Mr. Stick-Up-His-Butt is apologizing?! Sure I'll take it. "Apology accepted." I smile.

"That wasn't an apology, but do allow me to make one. I'm afraid we may have gotten on the wrong foot." He offers a hand.

"Nah, I tend to do that." I shrug. I take his hand and shake it. "You're not the first person I ticked off at contact, and I can't blame you. I do have a history."

"Yes… you do." He drops the smile. "I do admit I am still skeptical, but so far you have carried us through. The Ravager hasn't crushed us, the enemy has all backed off, and… what's that thing?" He points at HK.

"My personal assassination droid."

"…"

Okay, that probably made things bad again. "It's the one I told you about. HK-47, is perfectly docile unless ordered otherwise."

"Protest: The word 'docile' and 'HK-47' cannot exist within the same sentence. I am designed to kill, murder, and maim in an ever growing number of ways." It looks at Ribs. "Greetings, meat bag. Stay on the Master's good side, and you will not find out my ways."

"…" Rebhorn stays quiet. I can just picture him staring at HK.

I chuckle. "Really, the droid is fine, admiral."

"And your ship?" He asks. "The ship hasn't moved. It still has us trapped. As grateful as I am to still be alive, I must ask that it be… removed. I do not want the Fleet Mother to have an exo-skeleton twice her size, and the people will not settle down until then."

"Yeah…" I bite my lip. Should I tell him? Yeah, might as well. "The Ravager has been lonely a long time, Ribs. I'm afraid she's a bit… huggy."

"Huggy…" He repeats in disbelief.

"Yeah. Huggy."

"…"

"You'll get used to it." I pat him on the arm. "I take it everything is better?"

"Well, your friends are missing, but alive."

They'll be fine, I'm sure. Koj is resourceful. There is also Visas Marr, who should be able to get in contact with the Miraluka again. "They're fine. Anything else Ribs?"

"We are still in a cornered position, with everyone believing you to be a terrorist holding us hostage, but I have time to figure out a solution. We will endure. Can I trust on your further assistance?"

I tap the neck-brace. "Once I get this thing off. I might. Depends on what you need me to do and what it means toward my debt."

"I'm sure something can be arranged." He nods. "I will discuss the matter with you later, Keeper. For now, you must rest." With that said, he departs.

That went better than last time. Guess the hostility has settled a bit. The atmosphere is definitely less tense. Tense, because the Ravager is outside having a hugging session with the first peaceful ship it has seen in years, but people don't understand that. They don't see the Ravager as a living creature like I do.

Faint beeps in my jacket is followed by one of the faeries flying out of my pocket and looking back at the Miraluka. The faerie looks at me with a 'o.0?' expression. I chuckle. "The Miraluka would like it if you would release the ship, Ravager, but wait until later. HK and I will need to be back first. How is Falcon?"

The faerie instead expands its face a bit and shows a recording from the time Falcon woke up to now. First he raises himself up, screams, falls, then starts acting like a fearful animal in a cage. I turn my eyes away from the scene. I don't need to see my friend that terrified. I know what it's like to be inside of the Ravager's prison. They aren't normal rooms, they were designed by Nihilus.

That alone should tell me a lot, even if I hadn't experienced it first-hand on multiple occasions.

HK pushes me to the hospital and after I tell it to return to the Ravager, I lay down in the bed and close my eyes. I've more than pushed myself today.

* * *

Obi-Wan was weary.

The last several years had been tiresome and he felt his age catching up to him entirely too early. He shouldn't be feeling this old until he's at least eighty, but his work has left him tired.

Obi-Wan was one of the leading leaders of the new Jedi Order since the fall of Coruscant. His job entailed keeping up with the sects while they hid in secrecy and helping guide each and every one of them. Their numbers were booming again, but it was still far too soon to become comfortable and think they were safe from extinction.

That was a job for an entire Council now left on the shoulders of a few, and the secretive, mobile nature of the sects only made it more difficult. Before, the Jedi were centralized, organized, and united easily. Now the Jedi are everywhere, and he was left carrying the bag.

But two complications left him with too much on his plate.

First, Padme. Call it personal, call it obsessive, Obi-Wan felt like a failure. He promised his would-be-brother that he would find his wife for him, and every step of the way he has hit nothing but road blocks and misdirection. At times he wonders if the Force is keeping him from finding her or if someone is. He knew she is alive, Anakin has always been very clear about that, but where was she? It was almost like she was dumped in the middle of nowhere without contact with civilization or in a prison somewhere.

And the thought only added more white hairs to his grey mustache.

Second, Starkiller. In short, a few years ago, Anakin's former apprentice appeared again and went on a rampage rooting out sects, going after important figures, and generally doing everything he possibly can to end up on the galaxy's Most Wanted list. Rumor is Starkiller bottled up his own spit and mailed it to Mandalore. That might explain why they have so much DNA reference to him, but who would be stupid enough to do that?

With the weight of so many promises and failures on his shoulders, today only made things worse. Starkiller took a whole fleet hostage, a fleet they themselves thought were the culprit, and without proper reinforcements they were forced to retreat. Long range radar shows Starkiller has fulfilled his promise of sparing the Miraluka, but Onasi was furious.

Knowing the Admiral, there would be a next time.

But still. Between how badly the situation went, how easily they were fooled and put into the trap, having to feel the empty void coming from Starkiller made things worse. Like a living nightmare, Obi's body was forced to remember the feeling of what Nihilus had done to them on Coruscant, the slaughter, the undeniable void that consumed everything, and only fed on their resistance like a parasite.

Obi-Wan looked up to see he was at Onasi's cabin room. His own room was next door. He needed a nap. The Jedi flexed his aching shoulders, flinched when they popped, and kept walking.

Only to stop when he heard something.

It lasted only a moment, but it was so quiet and nearby that his internal radar was going off. His experience, instincts, and knowledge all combined themselves to tell him that someone was in the admiral's cabin.

Napping would have to wait.

Obi-Wan pulled out his lightsaber, but did not turn it on, not yet. He felt the Force in the room. There was a life form in there with a Dark Side signature, but it was small and hidden. It was different from the usual Dark Side he was used to. Dark Side is usually emotional and enraged, but this is calm, quiet, hidden. Not the feeling of Void Nihilus and Starkiller gave off, but certainly close.

Obi breathed in and out slowly before opening the door and stepping in. It was dark inside. Quiet too. Too quiet. The only sound he heard was the sound of the clock on the wall, the hum of Onasi's computer, and restrained breathing on his own part.

Obi flicked on his lightsaber and studied the blue light. It revealed part of the room, but not enough to identify where the person was. He stepped in, his instincts and mind quiet and ready to react as the door shut behind him.

The cabin room was part cabin part office, allowing plenty of space and hiding places for the Sith. Carefully, the Jedi moved around the edge of the room, his back to the wall, and inspected the room from front to back. Nothing in the dresser or mini-bathroom. Nothing under the bed or over it, and the Sith hadn't made way for the door either. This left the office in the back.

Obi-Wan stepped in carefully and halted as the light from his saber met the frame of a person. He couldn't make out any distinctions, but someone was definitely standing there. "Who are you? What do you want?" The Jedi asked.

The person's voice, definitely female, spoke with confidence and respect, unlike any other Sith Obi-Wan was used to hearing. They usually snarled and voiced hatred. "Carth Onasi owed me something. I came to grab it."

"In other words: Steal it." Obi-Wan stepped forward and let the blue light from his sword wash over her. She had a cloth over her eyes and she didn't look lost at all in the darkness. Was she blind?

No, she was a Miraluka. The presence of a blind-force user just after encountering a whole fleet of them was not a coincidence. She spun an object between her fingers, something he couldn't quite make out. "I prefer to think of it as repossession. He was late, and so I took it back, as well as some other niceties. Oh! Don't be like that! He won't mind."

She was probably a spy or something from the Miraluka, considering the Mandalorians and Republic did have them at gunpoint for a while. Considering it was a defensive action, her war crime could be understood. "Uh-huh… Listen, put down whatever it is in your hand and surrender yourself over to us. Considering how difficult the situation has been today, I am sure your involvement could be smoothed over and we can all return knowing that today has been one giant misunderstanding."

"Nu-uh." She shook her head playfully.

"Give it-" Obi-Wan reached forward for her, but she stepped back out of his saber's light as he did so. He pressed forward after her, but only encountered the wall. He flipped on the desk lamp. She was gone. The door hadn't opened, and a quick check of the cabin showed she was gone. She had simply disappeared into the shadows.

He was getting too old for this…

The computer was on. She must have gone after information only an admiral would have. Worriedly, he sat down and scanned through the computer's recent actions.

She had taken a copy of everything going back years. "Tsk." He flipped through the log. Technically, as an admiral himself, he had permission to see everything here and he needed to know what she had copied. His eyes scanned the files briefly. Logs, star charts, battle data, ship diagnostics, crew arrangement, emails…

Damn, this wasn't good. These emails included orders from the highest ranks of the Republic: Mon Motha, Borsk Fey'lya, Admiral Ackbar, Sian Tew, Doman Beruss, Verrinnefra B'thog, Padme Amidala, Bail Organa…

Obi-Wan's fingers halted over the buttons and he felt his eyes bulge out of his skull. There was an email from Padme going back years. There were several actually, which wasn't all that surprising, but the last one was within the last five years.

What was Onasi doing with contact from Padme?!

Not sure whether to be infuriated, incensed, forgiving, or understanding, he settled for cautious. He would need to… he would need to stay quiet and figure out what was going on.

Against his better judgment he grabbed a copy of the email and turned off the computer. He would make a proper summary-report of what information the woman acquired, then think about what Onasi would be doing with an email from Padme.

Especially considering he had been the one helping him find her for five years!

* * *

**Note: Carth Onasi has been in contact with Padme? You don't say!**

**This isn't going to be good.**

**A part of me wants to end the episode here, but not quite yet. There is a bit more to go. **

_**Review please. I want to know how I'm doing! Every review makes my day. :)**_


	19. Interlude - Preparing for Dinner

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, so no sue!**

* * *

**Interlude - Preparing for Dinner**

* * *

Mornings for Cahjinawl were the same every morning for as long as she could remember. Wake up to a bleak, calm, world and worry while being told to stand to the side, powerless and scared. She knows they're strong, so strong, but it didn't stop her worrying.

They were strong on Tatooine too, but that didn't stop the bombs, the lightsabers, the sheer number of mercenaries storming into the camp shooting everything that moved. Her mother was a capable shot, but that didn't stop her from taking a bullet to the neck. Her friends were the best at hiding she ever knew from their games, but that didn't help when bombs erupted on top of them. Back on the slave ship, so many people were skilled in one way or another, but when someone's suit ruptured in space, it all meant nothing when they suffocated. Or when the person was shot in the face while just eating dinner.

Death came unexpectedly no matter how skilled you were.

The only reassurance Cahjinawl felt was when she held the warmth of her father's hand on her head or slept snuggled up to her uncle like a teddy bear. She didn't know what a bear was, but uncle Varus often mentioned that she needed one to replace him. How could an animal replace family? She didn't know, but then that was just another of those adult things.

Last night had been wonderful, father returned along with the rest of Varus' friends. From what Cahjinawl heard, they had taken a lift and flew back with Visas Marr. Cahjinawl ran into the throng and father patted her on the head like he does. This lead to the first night she could sleep since father was missing and Varus was in the hospital.

But today was different. The first sign was when Ashley Marr peeled the sheets off the bed exposing her to the cold air. Cahjinawl squealed in shock and curled up. She tried squirming under the massive pillow, but the woman wouldn't have any of it. "Cahjinawl, get up!" She grabbed the girl by the ankles and tugged, but Cahjinawl resisted. She grabbed anything she could hold onto and squealed 'no'.

At last Ashley managed to get Cahjinawl out of bed, to which the girl utterly detested the older woman for. Detested. Hated. Despised. All them big words Uncle Varus liked to throw around. Next thing she knew, she was being stripped, throw into a shower, scrubbed down, and put into one of those dresses daddy got her.

And she glared up at the woman. She was wet, squeaky clean, and hated every bit of it. And the dress was frilly and itchy and… what's the point?

"Don't look at me like that." The blind woman lectured her. "You want to look nice."

"Why?" She pouted.

"Today's your first day of school, and dinner has been arranged for you and your grandmother."

"Grandmother? I don't have one."

Ashley smiled knowingly. "Ah, but you do. Victoria Marek. Varus has agreed to have dinner, and your father offered 'emotional backup'."

"What does that even mean?"

"That means: get a move on! We're already five minutes late!" Ashley grabbed her by the hands and dragged her out the room.

Cahjinawl had to run to keep up with the woman's fast pace. Before long she was being shoved through a double door into a hall with laminated flooring, down various halls with lots and lots of doors and people walking by, then into a final room where an adult stood at a desk and lots of kids were sitting around on the floor.

Cahjinawl took one look at the situation, felt their unseeing eyes on her, and turned around to leave only to find Ashley had closed the door on her. She tried to open the door from the inside, but there was a great resistance against her, like the insufferable woman was barring her in!

The Ghorfa child let loose one of the weird insults Varus liked to use when he was mad, and everyone gasped.

"Young lady!" The adult said in stark horror.

Cahj glared at him and put her back to the door. This was the best defensive position she had. There were no windows, only a single door, and unfortunately she couldn't get in a position to watch the door and the rest of these evil people all at once.

The adult sighed and left his desk. He was a man with a small scar across his chin and sun-glasses over his eyes unlike the cloth most Miraluka wear. The man stepped toward her and Cahj bared her sharp teeth.

Varus taught her to not put up for men who wanted to touch her, she needed to bite them and rip as much skin off as possible to make them stop. She was fortunate in never having had to, but she knew the lesson well. It was one both of her parental figures pounded into her often along with eating and staying by their side. Right now, that wasn't possible. She was alone in hostile territory.

The man backed off slightly at her growl, but returned to getting closer to her until he was in reach of her. He put a hand on her shoulder and she did exactly what she was taught. She bit him. She drew blood and bit down like a leech. Unlike most species with suckers or horizontally slit mouths, Ghorfa have round mouths more like leeches, only with multiple rows of teeth that protruded inward or outward.

The children screamed at the sight of her protruding teeth bear down into the soft flesh of the man's hand and the room would have erupted into chaos were it not for the fact that the man didn't move. He didn't pull his hand back, he didn't squeeze, he didn't let go, he didn't lift her up and slam her into the ground or wall, and he didn't tense up. He didn't make any motion one way or another as the blood poured down his hand.

"Now… why would you go and do that to your nice dress?" The man suddenly asked. Some of the blood had gotten on her dress. "It looks like it cost your family a pretty credit."

His touch was gentle. The atmosphere lessened and Cahj didn't feel he was as hostile as she believed. He wasn't hurting her. She retracted her teeth slowly from his hand. The sight of the wound was deep and rounded, but he still didn't move or flinch in pain.

"Why aren't you hurt?" She asked.

"I am hurt." He lowered himself onto a knee. "But I see a girl who is even more hurt already. What is it that causes a child like you to have the instincts of an animal?" A tear ran down his face from his sunglasses. "What have you endured?"

Flashes of the death and worry surrounding every memory of her life hit her, and it took all of her will power to snap it down and not react. She felt shame for lashing out and hurting him, considering he was being so gentle. Why? Why was she shamed and embarrassed? This is what she was supposed to do.

The man continued, "I'm sorry, it's not my place to ask, but why don't you go sit? Hm? Find a place your comfortable in while I get a bandage."

Cahjinawl didn't move from the door, content to be where she was while the man went through the bottom of his desk. He pulled out a huge roll of cloth and pulled up his sleeve. He wrapped his hand in it. While he did so, he revealed he was covered in bandages already.

"Why are you covered in them?" She asked.

"Oh…" The man chuckled. "I'm a bit clumsy… Are you fine over there?" Cahj looked away, under his attention. She was sorry to have bitten him, but didn't know how to express it. She nodded. If she had to be here, in this unknown place, she would want to be as near the exit as possible.

"Alright!" The man put his hands together cheerfully and pointed to Cahjinawl. "Everyone, we have a new classmate! I would like everyone to meet Cahjinawl'Ineh!"

"Cahjin would be okay…" She said quietly. Cahj sounded too much like Koj, like what everyone called father.

"Alright, Cahjin it is! Everyone give her a warm welcome." He started clapping, and the kids followed suit, but very few of them did. The fear was evident in their expressions. There was a very clear distinction in the room as to who was on which side. She was on this side, and the rest were on the other as far away as they could be. And they never stopped staring. Cahjinawl sighed. This was going to be a long day.

The 'school' day, despite its rocky start, proved to be fascinating and irritating in equal measure. She had never been in an environment where one was supposed to learn of new things, but also was supposed to stay in one place for an extended period of time for no reason. Sure, she understood the idea of staying quiet and still in the presence of danger, but after seeing how gentle the man was and how scared the rest were, she judged she was safe for the moment.

Before long she was lost in the fascination of new things as stories were read, letters were sculpted, and symbols were given purpose. The man, named Mr. Blacklock explained that they would be learning of two alphabets. The first being the Basic alphabet and the second being braille. While Miraluka read and write in braille, they also need to be familiar with Basic. Then when that was done, they were given clay and sculpted the letters or just whatever they wanted. Cahj enjoyed that greatly, even smiling despite herself. She preferred the fact that the others kept their distance, she was safer this way, and she could mess around with the pile of clay without having it tampered. She made something that reminded her of the rocks from home, or at least that was what it was supposed to be.

Actually when it was done, she had no idea what it was. It looked like a chicken giving birth to a fish while trying to dance.

Before she knew it, some very very loud noise erupted and hurt her ears, and everyone took that as their queue to leave, while keeping as much of a distance between them and her as possible. Not that she cared. She watched them warily. They were just as dangerous as she was if they tried to be, in fact, she doubted she could take them all on. But it was almost like they didn't understand that basic fact.

When the last of her peers departed, Blacklock was still standing at the door waiting for her. Without her input, her feet took her to him, and she managed to keep from lashing out when his bandaged hand rested on her back. He closed the door and Ashley Marr was waiting down the hall with a ridicules smile on her face.

"Sorry about… what happened." Cahjinawl managed to whisper. Was that how she was supposed to say it?

"Don't worry about it." The man smiled exaggeratingly wide. "I'll see you tomorrow." He passed her off to Ashley.

Tomorrow? Cahjinawl considered that. Despite everything, she couldn't help smiling.

* * *

Koj sat in silent meditation.

His favorite meditation was in the presence of a collection of Holocrons he collected over his life. The voices strengthened the presence of the Good Spirit, spoke to him of teachings and knowledge, and whispered of power he was forced to discipline himself against. He mourned the loss of his collection, but made do without it.

Now meditation was achieved in the silence of his own thoughts and the sight of stars.

Steps drew his attention. "Varus has been a wonderful influence on your daughter." Ashley said. "You should have heard what she called me."

"I can imagine." Koj responded. He opened his eyes, but otherwise didn't move.

"Well…" She grunted as she sat down beside him. "She's in school now, got her a teddy bear like Varus wanted, and yeah… Everything is arranged for tonight."

"What's a school?"

"Really?"

He shook his head. "Your concepts are foreign to me."

"No wonder she needs it… it is a place of learning, Koj."

"So you have assigned her to an apprenticeship?"

"It's… similar."

"Hmm…" He grunted thoughtfully. He didn't understand everyone's fascination with the teddy animals, but if that thing hurts his daughter, Varus will pay dearly. But his thoughts were not on whether or not Cahjinawl could handle the beast, it was on tonight's little affair. He didn't know the woman, and it wasn't his place to say one way or another how Varus should handle it, but it was also a worry he held that he might negatively influence the situation unnecessarily.

"You meditating?" Ashley asked.

"Yes." He responded. Outsiders so very often did not understand Ghorfa beliefs and customs, and while he had grown lax and comfortable around Outsiders enough to shrug off their ignorance when they bugged him, he now found himself in the opposing position of being the one to insult the host unknowingly.

What customs did the Outsiders have? While he believed it safest to say as little and do as little as possible, he was familiar with cultures where NOT doing something was an insult, such as standing for woman or complimenting the chef and host. Complementing the host was a safe bet, he figured, but there were also opposing cultures where standing for woman was a way of singling them out and was seen was aggression.

"Is it true you have to have an empty mind?"

"Not necessarily." He answered. "Brainstorming and sleeping are both opposite types of meditation, while 'meditation' is somewhere in the middle."

"Oh… cool." She nodded. "What helps you do that?"

He sighed and decided he wasn't going to get much further for now. If she insisted on conversation, then his moment was over. "Watching the stars. Listening to the hum of the ship. It reminds me of my old meditation chamber from home."

Her posture changed from curious to nervous as she picked at lint. "I like the hum, it helps me sleep. Almost all of us grow up hearing it. It's worse when you don't hear the rattling or hum, means something is wrong."

"Hmm." He answered without commitment. It was a curious thing to note. He grew up with the roar of the sandstorm and winds, and she grew up with the metal grinding and shaking of ships. He was familiar with it in the last few years of slavery, but he didn't like it. The sounds kept him from sleeping. That probably was a part of their culture. In more ways than he thought, it wasn't just Varus who understood the desperation of his people, but them. They moved in a fleet with no natural resources having to fight and scavenge for everything, like them. Only, he wasn't sure who had it easier or if it was equal since a mobile fleet like this could find resources much easier than his tribe could, but they were also prone to more types of dangers and had a higher demand.

Perhaps they had a thing for waste as well.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sight out of the corner of his eye of her still being nervous. Why didn't she just come out with it? "If you have something you wish to say, say it."

She jumped at his words and turned away. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yes. Out with it." He said neutrally.

"What…" She cleared her throat. "What are the stars like?"

Koj blinked in surprise. He certainly had not been expecting that for a question. Frankly, it left him dumbfounded. Not knowing what stars are like was like… not feeling the wind, not hearing the crackle of fire and song, or the taste of water. It was such a basic part of life that… he spoke before thinking. "You cannot see them?"

She shook her head shamefully. "No. Miraluka cannot see light. Only three dimensional objects in a certain radius around us. Paper is blank, paintings are empty, holographic imaging is just air, and distant stars are… left to the imagination."

He found himself staring at her despite himself. He had dealt with blind people, certainly, and he knew the Miraluka in the last few days of being exposed to them, and he had even thought that perhaps they could not see light, but he had yet to truly comprehend the magnitude of the thought.

"We're more like half-blind…" She continued. "W-we can see, but yet not see. It's like… like we can only see that which is practical, not that which brings awe and beauty to our sight. Paintings are just blank canvas. Statues are just rock…" She blushed. "And it's hard to be intimate when you can see their intestines and optic nerves… not that I've… ever! I mean-"

"I get it." He stopped her rambling. She shut up and stopped talking. After a moment he returned his eyes to the stars and considered them. "My people believed the stars were the Spirit's ghosts watching over them, and in some cases Outsider's born of rival Spirits. In the thousands of years since we were among the stars, we had lost themselves to their own imagination and raging fantasies. We didn't understand anymore that the stars were orb furnaces. Instead we would lay out on the sand and watch the stars and wonder what the ghosts were thinking of us. To answer your question: Looking at stars is… like… picture a dark canvas covered in your braille language."

"That's it? Braille?" She wondered.

"Ah! Not braille showing letters or numbers, but pictures and tales. At night when the caravan's would stop, we would look for forgotten tales presented to us by the ghosts as they danced in the sky. Most of our tales would be of great heroics and great loss, but there was always one that was my favorite… This one star would move across the sky like… a ball thrown across your view leaving a trail of light. It was the ghost of the wind telling us where to go, but as the wind is such a flighty ghost…" He chuckled. "By the time you're packed up and ready to go, she's long gone scratching her head and wondering where she is. She always forgets to wait, and whoever she guides can never find her. So the tribes became content to stay where they are and laugh at her when she passes, yet be envious of her for being so care free."

The Miraluka smiled as she listened. "That sounds like fun."

"Stars are dots. Not much to them, but if you try to make something more out of them, then it can be fun."

They fell into silence, and Koj took it as his chance to return to meditating. Before he became fully engrained in his state of mind, she stood up. "I have to go. Mrs. Marek expects me to help her with getting ready. Don't forget!"

"Hmm." He muttered.

"And… Thank you. Perhaps you can show me some tales in our stars sometime soon?"

"Perhaps." He allowed. He listened to the sound of her departure and turned his thoughts inward, only to find his thoughts lied with the stars and tales of his childhood. It was a difficult childhood, but not one he couldn't smile about at times.

He didn't know any Miraluka star tales… did they even have any? So why would she suggest that?...

Outsiders are… odd.

* * *

Visas knocked on the hospital door.

"Enter."

She opened the door and entered. If she wanted to, she could have peered through the wall into the room to know if it was appropriate to enter, but that was considered rude on the ship and took focused effort. That and she wasn't in the mood to tease Varus today.

Varus stood at the end of his bed going through papers and tucking his arm into his jacket. He looked up at her at her approach and nodded in greeting. "Visas." One of the floating robot constructs that seemed to have become of his pets floated around his head in silent observation.

"Varus." She returned. She cocked her head to the side. The papers did not have indentions on them, so she couldn't make them out. "What are you reading?"

"Oh, this is some medical mumbo jumbo. Means I'm in good health and the recovery went well." He signed his name on a number of them to sign himself out of the hospital, but visibly frowned on one, ripped the page off, and folded it.

"What's wrong?"

"Hm? Oh… Uh." He stuck the ripped paper in his pocket. Clearly hiding it. "Nothing important." He closed the wad of papers and adjusted his clothes. "Ready?"

"Mhmm." Visas stepped aside as Varus walked by. They made a stop at the receptionist's desk and dropped off the papers.

"Everything looks in order." The receptionist said. "Have a good day."

"Yeah…"

Varus and Visas walked out of the hospital and Varus took a big whiff of air. Visas smiled at his antics. He had only returned himself to the hospital two days ago, not like he was stuck to bed for a year. Varus scratched lightly at the scar on the back of his neck and winced at how fresh it was. "So, Ribs wants to talk to me?"

"He does. There are a number of matters to attend to."

"Alright, lead the way."

And Visas did. As one of the few Seeker remaining, and working for the council directly, she knew intimately well where the Admiral worked when he didn't want to be disturbed by people without an appointment. It was a quaint place, a little out of the way next to a water filtration system. They entered in to find the man with a high pile of papers all around him.

"Keeper, I see your recovery has gone well."

"Yeah…" Varus practically collapsed into a chair before putting his feet up on the end of the desk. "You just couldn't keep me down, I know you insisted, but I'm too spry for you. Gotta keep up with the ages, old man." His pet construct made a giggling sound.

Visas smiled at his teasing. The admiral, to his credit, didn't react. "First manner of business…" He pulled out a paper and Varus groaned. "Would it be presumptuous of me to assume you are captain of the Ravager?"

"Captain?..." Varus and his pet looked at each other. "Technically Nihilus is more the captain than me. I was just living on it for my entire life. But without him here… I guess I could be considered the captain… Never really thought of it that way. I've only flown the ship when Nihilus wasn't… but…" He glanced at the pet again. "Yeah, I guess I am captain of the Ravager."

"And, as you are a hired mercenary of us, by extension, your ship is part of our fleet."

"Uh…" Varus stopped cold. He took his feet off the desk and straightened up, finally serious. "I don't like the idea of anyone messing with my ship."

"Varus." Visas said. "Captains have full right over their own ships, right down to the form of government within their ship, so long as they adhere to the will of the council. No one will be 'messing with' the Ravager without your permission, not without a major council decision." Varus looked between them.

"And besides." Visas continued, "That was a statement, not a question."

"Uh-huh…" Varus shifted in his chair. "Will I be expected to… do anything? Weird?"

"As a proper ship, a crew will be expected, taxes, a few regulations on how to lead and govern the crew…" The Admiral dropped a huge thousand-page book on the desk in front of Varus, and his eyes expanded at the sight of it. It was rather comical. Rebhorn continued on, "There will be missions, which, considering you already be will doing some to pay us back, will only mean that the nature of your missions will be larger scale and have greater rewards."

"Meaning… what?" Varus flipped through the book with ever growing anxiety. "What the- I can't even read this crap! What does this even mean!?" His pet construct looked over his shoulder and 'wrred'. "I have to read this?!"

"Memorize it."

Varus paled. "Uh… about that…. I may be able to read and do basic math, but… I never went to school."

"…"

"So uh… yeah. Apprentice to Nihilus and all. The bastard may have given me enough of an education to pass off as semi-intelligent, or to cure his OCD moments, but I don't think I can read law." The book started flipping pages on its own. Curious, as Varus wasn't paying attention to it, the floating construct was.

The Admiral sighed deeply. "You already have Ashley Marr as an assistant. I'll make sure she knows to extend her line of duty."

"Actually that may not be necessary." Visas interrupted. Varus and Rebhorn looked at her, and she pointed to the droid. The construct was somehow flipping pages and reading it. If the fascinated noises it was making was any clue, it understood what it was reading.

"Your droid would work just as well." The Admiral noted. "The first thing you will need to do is establish a crew and officers and advisors. The crew part will be easy, with a ship as large as yours, you can take on other ship captains and crews to join under you."

"I can do that?"

"But your advisors and officers are special, since they will be those you deal with the most. Those you will need to hand pick. There is a list of positions that are necessary to be filled on page…"

"One-hundred eighty-two." The construct suddenly said. It looked up at their shocked expressions. The book closed and now it was completely turned over from where it was. It had read the entire book. "Yes, I memorized the book. It was informative."

Varus smiled widely before glaring at Rebhorn. "My droid, not yours." Rebhorn just stared at him like he lost his mind.

"Anyway…" Rebhorn continued, "I'll have my assistant pass on to Mrs. Marr a list of small crews for you to take on, ships and all, and recommendations. Even then that would only make up a fraction of your ships potential housing, so you can still fit a lot more. But beyond that… what you do is up to you. Maintenance comes out of your own wallet, as well as paying your crew, and supplies. Since you have none, the fleet will give you a loan to help you start off."

"Uh-huh…" Varus muttered. He sat back and digested all of that. "So… I get to do things my own way?"

"Provided it is not considered criminal or illegal, yes."

"Can I do my own missions?"

Rebhorn frowned. "Technically… no. You can't work for other nations, and we will be assigning you plenty… but if you find missions you want to do that we have not assigned… arrange it with me or Mrs. Marek to approve. The idea is you shouldn't be taking on missions from our enemies, and right now we have a lot of them until things settle down."

"Alright, alright." Varus rolled his arms together. "I guess I can live with it…"

"Excellent. Now, next order of business." He pulled out another paper and Varus groaned loudly.

Two hours later Varus ran out screaming that he couldn't take it anymore. Visas smirked. "I was wondering how long he would last."

"We got a lot more done than I expected." Rebhorn acknowledged.

He signed the papers in front of him and moved them to the appropriate pile and he returned to working. As he did so, Visas asked, "You don't really trust him that much, do you? He may have earned us a big wins, and you may be playing nice, but I know you. You have an angle."

"And you would be right." He admitted. He turned in his seat to where he had a chess board, and he moved a piece. "Those crews and captains I recommended are all loyal to me. I am honest about him joining the fleet, giving us a ship twice the size of the Fleet Mother, and doing missions we otherwise cannot do for us; but it will be on my terms. If he steps out of line and poses a threat, he'll be removed appropriately. This is both a test of trust and a safeguard."

"Or your way of controlling the Keeper…" She accused.

"Dear, Seeker. I already control him. I simply don't see a reason to remove him, yet." He turned back to his desk. "Now, I believe you have something for me."

Visas frowned and hesitated, but nodded anyway. She produced a small external memory device. "I got what I went for." She handed it to him and he slipped it into his computer. The monitor shifted to show a three-dimensional screen. He looked through the files briefly before nodding.

"Thank you, this will do nicely. Now we know exactly where the Mandalorian, Republic, and Alliance fleets are. This should make traveling much easier. But what is the rest of this?"

"I chose it best to download everything to save time on searching."

"Fair enough." He pulled out the memory stick. "Thank you, Mrs. Marr."

Visas stuffed it in her pocket. "Also… The encrypted message sent out was finished being deciphered." Rebhorn nodded. "The location the message was sent to was out in the middle of nowhere, but the MAC address was linked to a device owned by Leland Marek."

"Leland…" Rebhorn muttered darkly.

* * *

HK's daily routine constant maintenance, and it's 'birth' dictated it.

Computers think on a different scale from living beings. It's first moment of sentience it asked how it had been born, but with no one to answer at the moment, it deduced with itself logically how it had been born. HK found that there was something or someone outside of it's programming that made it. While that individual would later come to be Czercha Corp. HK continued to contemplate existance and birth.

The conclusion HK came to was one that would be repeated by every sentient robot in time called "The Maker phenomena". It concluded that existance is made up of an infinite layer of maker's. HK was made by something more intelligent from outside its own dimension of 0's and 1's. Czercha Corp, Revan, everyone, and everything within the dimension robots exist were made by someone with a design from outside that dimension. This person, god, or diety would only be known as The Maker. They know nothing of the Maker, no personality traits or promises or dislikes, only that he exists. It is logical.

This layer upon layer speaks of a never ending ability to grow, to expand, to improve. Perfection does not exist, perfection is the journey.

Czercha Corp may have decided what HK-47's function would be, just as they did for HK-1 all the way to HK-49, but it was the Maker who showed them that there is something more. Czercha taught them how to patch themselves and improve, but it was the Maker who gave a reason, a goal to reach.

HK analyzed its environment, and stealthily followed the intruders through the Ravager. There were four of them, one large lizard, one very fat man, one very thin man, and one that was about average. It did not recognize the lizard's species, but HK deduced that testing it's current systems against him would find a great number of problems to work out in its programming, and bring it another step toward perfection.

People often assumed HK was a psychopathic droid without morals who's only desire was to kill. That was inaccurate. HK was a psychopathic droid with morals, based on the directives of the Master, who's only desire was to improve at it's born purpose. Not the same thing.

"Who does he think he is?!" The lizard suddenly barked.

"I'm pretty sure we all know who he thinks he is." The thin one answered.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT! I mean, captain? Captain, my ass! I'd rather shoot myself in the knee than call him Captain Varus!"

So, the topic of their discussion was Master Varus. Judging from the lizard's volume, facial expression, and tone, as well as words, he was not in agreement with some event that has passed. And shooting yourself in the limb rather than use your mouth to say something seemed so… illogical. There was nothing to gain from it. Unless calling Varus as Captain Varus was somehow going to cause great harm.

HK would have to remember that.

"If he tries to make me say it, I'm just going to take his neck and-"

HK heard enough. Moving faster than the lizard-man and his lackey's could see properly, while invisible, HK kicked him in the chin, floored him, jumped onto his chest, pinned his arms down with it's feet, and stuck it's rifle in the lizard-man's mouth. HK allowed it's invisibly to shift into the form of it's favorite shell.

HK-47 looked down into the eyes of the lizard-man with the rifle in his mouth. "Adamant request: Please, finish your sentence. Give me an excuse to kill you without the Master questioning my ethics." HK flicked off the safety. "I would like to think my 'ethics' code is up-to-date."

While HK allowed the undesirable lizard-man to finish his slow, and inadequate thought processes to catch up to the date with the latest events, HK noted the man's comrades. They all went into a stage of shock combined with the excessing of liquids. What kind of defense mechanism was this? Was it to decrease their weight in the time of flight, or to create a powerful stench to distract in a fight? Was it a group-morale boost via pheromones given off by their liquid?

How fascinating!

HK did not see it enough of a test to set it's prejudice to maximum, but a good study was always the pride of an avid student. Or so HK's research found.

The lizard-man suddenly bit down on the rifle in his mouth and cut it clean off. The rifle was of a fine material, even tougher than HK's own body in it's exposed areas.

The lizard man had a strong bite.

Unfortunately, said lizard man also bit off the firing crystal at the end of the rifle that focused the laser and made it lethal upon exiting the barrel. The rifle was without purpose.

Almost.

The bite of the rifle caused the barrel to become jagged in the same of the man's teeth, thus making it an effective stabbing tool when combined with sudden action.

HK shoved the rifle down into the lizard's mouth, but the teeth came down again, not enough to slice the weapon, but to keep it firm. The arm's under HK's feet suddenly had more strength than originally calculated, and a fist came up at it while tripping it. HK rolled it's weight to the side, dodged the fist, and rolled with the momentum to come clear.

HK stood to it's feet and regarded the rifle.

And damaged. HK cast it aside.

"I'm about to destroy you! You worthless piece of junk!" The lizard roared, and before HK's very eyes turned a dark shade of red, grew an exoskeleton, horns, thorns, and emitted a mist from his skin.

HOW FASCINATING! HK had never seen a species like this before! Perhaps it could modulate and mimic it's function, provided it could find a robotic version of this function.

Another fist, having the approximate size of Texas, flew at HK, but HK ducked under it and initiated testing.

A punch to the exoskeleton with a force of two pounds returned an impact of 1.9927 pounds, effectively a 99.63% return. The exoskeleton was very tough. A jab with HK's finger into the groove between the plates with a force of one pound returned an impact of 0.15 pounds, effectively a 15% return. The skin under the plates was tougher than normal, but still weaker than the plates.

"Ha! You trying to box, little droid! You punch like a wet noodle!" The lizard taunted and they continued their little dance. The lizard-man may have trippled in size, and almost as much in power, but he was slower than HK and took many times longer to react. There were also plates along the edges of his eyes, limiting vision and creating blind spots…

Judging from the iris of the lizard's eye, and the distance from the eye-plates, and how deeply inward the eyes were… HK calculated he was experiencing tunnel vision quite literally. His vision was limited to 60-65% of normal. In addition, with the massive size of his limbs and body, it created a large number of places to hide from the beady eyes.

Weakness: assessed...

Speed: Above average...

Power: Too much...

Senses: limited...

IQ and reaction time: Not that bright...

A very unbalanced individual, HK concluded. One final calculation required.

HK pushed it's senses to the maximum. Registering every muscle, and movement of the lizard's body, and in so doing, registered it's bone frame as it evaded the lizard's attacks. The lizard-man-demon-thing was truly a fearsome opponent, but he had clearly never 'tango'ed with an HK-model assassination droid.

In 0.17 seconds, much slower than HK was used to, and after spending another 0.01 seconds making a note to reassess it's own programming for flaws and unnecessarily repeating lines of code slowing it down, as well as initiating a miniature program to search out said flaws in the background: HK was ready. It mapped out the lizard's entire body, inside and out, and formulated a simple plan.

It had never tried this method before, and found this to be a worthy test.

HK ducked under the next attack and followed the limb down to his body out of the lizard's sight, effectively appearing to have vanished. On appearing in reach of his body, HK jammed fingers into the areas between the plates with enough pounds of force to do what was necessary. Another pound of force and it would be like stabbing him, which it could do in a follow up test.

HK made a note of that.

The lizard man gasped as HK hit a nerve between the joints of his ribs, and HK moved around faster than the lizard could react, and systematically repeated the process with many other bones and nerve endings, including along the man's spinal column.

In seconds, the lizard man felt like his body was on fire because his bones were out of joint, the nerves were screaming for release from how they were jammed between his bones, and he fell on his face.

HK walked over to where it cast aside it's rifle and took it up. "What a wonderful test! I have found so many flaws in my programming. I will be sure to root them out and fix them as soon as possible." HK put the rifle in the lizard's face. "Taunting remark: Who is the worthless piece of junk now? Bite my shiny metal mass ass, meat-bag! May it break every tooth in your jaw."

HK pulled the trigger.

And the rifle made a clicking noise. The lizard man flinched in fright, then sudden relief to realize he was still alive.

HK pulled the trigger a couple more times before turning the rifle around and looking inside it. The rifle was broken. It could do a weak laser bolt even without the crystal near the end of the barrel, but there was a small crack clean through to the inner matrix.

HK was not one to have emotion. Emotion was wasted on meat bags without logic.

But that didn't mean that HK did not understand emotion, or namely hatred. True hatred often brought on a burst of bloodlust or the overwhelming desire to kill, namely without a higher purpose than to complete the emotion. The emotion created an adrenaline rush, shaking, tunnel vision, the overwhelming desire to kill for no reason more than to appease said emotion, and a sensation HK researched to be comparable to boiling, hot blood.

HK was experiencing a comparable version of that in it's programming. HK did not feel emotion. Yet as they looked back at it, they felt it's rage.

It was an older class model rifle, highly illegal, very difficult to find, with private modifications to increase lethality. HK marked it with a history of it's kills as a reminder of the battles, it polished the rifle daily for wear and tear. It was lethal. It was efficient. It was… beautiful.

HK took on the most hateful form it had: a red-man with horns and whipped out a lightsaber from its inner storage. "Prejudice: set to _**Absolute**_."

* * *

I return to the Ravager to find an interesting sight.

Cupcake, Igor, Rizzo, and Reeve run by me screaming, "IT'S TRYING TO EAT US!" (Cupcake looks like he has been beaten up and Reeves never says anything.)

Ooookay… is this some kind of group morning exercise session?

HK runs by me. "Whoa! Hold it!" I grab it by the collar and HK whirls around mid-step. Knowing it, it had thought the group exercise was good for practice on robots as well.

"HK."

"Yes, Master."

"I need you to go make sure the Holocrons are all hidden and secure, secure my room and Nihilus' study, mark all doors that will vent air if opened, and make sure the Seed is hidden and secure."

"Over half of the ship vents air when the doors are opened."

"Yes… I know." I sigh. The only part of the Ravager that is good at not venting air are the inner layers. The outer rooms are full of holes varying from the size of bullets to missing entire walls. The last thing I also need is any of my upcoming crew finding the stash of holocrons, the Seed, my room, or Nihilus' study. That is a whole slew of problems right there. "And HK." I continue. "When you are done with that, check on Falcon and make sure he is fed."

"Shall I interrogate him?" HK asks with clear excitement.

"No, no. He's an… old friend. I'm just not sure what to do with him yet."

"Suggestion: I could always use him for target practice."

"He's blind."

"Even better. His sporadic movements under fear will truly test my ability to logically predict where to aim."

I chuckle. "As fun as that would be to watch, no. I don't want him harmed in any way. I actually want to return him, but we are in a very awkward situation here with pretending to be terrorists and holding the Miraluka hostage." I'll discuss with Koj what to do. He has experience in being viewed as a terrorist. "When you're done with that, I want you to modify your protocols. You're going to be my personal bodyguard."

"Understood, Master." The droid nodded.

I wave it off and HK gets to work. It should take it several days to do everything I asked. "Ravager." I say. The Ravager droid on my shoulder flies to stand in front of me. "Have a swarm help HK. It should make everything faster."

"Yes, Master!" It has a ':D' face.

"And how hungry are you?"

"oh…. Very…" it says with a 'T.T' face.

"Alright…" I continue adjusting my thoughts. The idea of having a crew is throwing me for a loop. So many things to consider that I've never thought of before. Esspecially on a ship like the Ravager that is a living death trap.

I should probably feed the Ravager tonight. She's not been fed properly in years. It's a wonder the lights are still on. Speaking of feeding… I need to get ready for 'the dinner'. I nudge my head in the direction I'm going to walk in, and the pixie perches itself on my shoulder again.

As I walk, my hand subconciously touches the piece of paper in my pocket. It's the DNA test telling me if she really is my mother or not. I never got a good look at it, purposefully. I don't know if I really want to look at it. If I look at it and she isn't, then tonight would just be a waste of time. If she is… well… that's just too much to hope. I have faced down Nihilus in a number of duels, killed Jedi Masters, taken on fifty-foot droid snakes with a million lasers on their faces, faced prisoners and fellow slaves and slavers, and even gotten Ahsoka royally ticked at me.

The note in my pocket is easily scarier than all of that. I would much rather be standing in front of an infuriated Cupcake, red steam, horns, and all.

I fumble with it again, before pulling my hand out. I'll look at it later after I make my own decision.

I find a place to sit and think for a while. The pixie flutters around me lazily, periodically making fascinated sounds at the slightest thing. A few hours later, I'm standing in front of The Door. Koj'Ineh shows up minutes later. He's in his full garb covering every inch of his body. "A mask? Really?"

He looks at me. "I am Ghorfa. I have gone without a head covering far too long."

"You want to wear a mask in public again, be my guest, but this is my mother, Koj."

"And?"

"Please. No mask with me or my family."

He looks at me a moment before nodding in acceptance and removing the mask. He drops the hood and stuffs the mask in his pocket. He is used to not wearing a mask, so he doesn't flinch like he used to when I first found him. Ashley Marr and Squirt arrive a minute later. I hug Squirt and Koj pats her head. Funny how he hasn't forced her to start covering her head like he does again. Either he is loosening up or hasn't gotten around to it yet.

"How did she like it? This 'school'." I ask Ashley.

"It had it's ups and downs." She flinches at a thought.

"Uh-huh…" I'm clueless. Never went to school myself. Being kidnapped at five does that. "I'm sure she will tell us all about it later."

"Also." I sit down on a chair while we wait for the others. I look at Koj. "I need you as my First."

"First what?"

"First Mate." I answer. "And Ashley, you still going to be my assistant? Need one now more than ever."

"Victoria still wants me to help you in any way I can."

Good, that's three positions I need. Cupcake should make a good warden-slash-toilet cleaner, and the Three Stooges would be fine as secondary pilots of the Ravager. So long as they don't touch anything or have human contact. Too many chances for them to blow stuff up or scare people with their stupidity. And Visas… Not sure what to do with her. Security? Go-between for me and Ribs? Hmmm…

The Three stooges arrive later and Cupcake as well. I narrow my eyes at Cupcake as a warning, and he backs off slightly. Usually I'm not that serious with him, but I need him on his best behavior if I am going to allow everyone to meet mother. She must be mental if she wants to meet EVERYONE! No way am I letting her meet HK, even if she wants to.

"Why do you need me as First Mate of what?" Koj asks further.

"Oh, as captain of the Ravager, I will be needing a crew, and officers to help me make it work. I don't know squat about leading anything, but this should be fun!" I grin.

Everyone's expressions are one's of shock and horror. I drop the grin. No one says anything, but they are clearly thinking the same thing. Squirt voices for them, "We're screwed…"

Koj's eyes bug out at her in an uncharacteristically shocked and animated fashion, Cupcake bursts out in laughter, and Ashley says, "Told you."

"Varus…" Koj turns on me menacingly. "What have you been teaching my daughter?"

Oh crap…

* * *

"Was it really wise to allow the strangers go?" Kenobi asked.

High Admiral Carth Onasi turned at his approach and immediately hesitated. Something was off in the Jedi Master. It was in his tense eyes, the slowly returning fire that had been departing him in the last five years. The exposure to whatever he felt must have been more in a kick in the pants than he thought; but oddly enough Onasi felt the fire was aimed at… something fresh or nearby. Like himself.

It's nothing… Onasi shook away his thoughts. Kenobi was probably aggravated with the lack of accomplishments of late.

But yes, it was best to let the strangers go. Visas Marr was not a woman he wanted to mess with. She was like a snake, poised to strike just as much as disappear into the shadows. She held no loyalty to him, and while she owed a great debt to the Revanchist, he honestly wondered about Marr's loyalty to them as well. Ever since she disappeared with the rest of the Miraluka in a sudden search for their Keeper years ago, not to mention being an apprentice to Nihilus, she was a difficult one to place. She had betrayed Nihilus once, what was to keep her from doing the same with them? Did she have loyalty to anyone, or was it all lies for her own agenda?

"Yes, it was best. The last thing we need is to have a snake spreading poison among us."

"I agree completely. Letting the snake go was the best decision." Kenobi responded. "But what's better is to put on metal tipped shoes and stomp the head entirely, wouldn't you say?"

Onasi glanced at the Master and felt himself sweat a bit. What was going on with him?

* * *

**Note: WHEW! That was long. I wanted it to cover a LOT of character development before the next stage of the story comes. Life moves on. People form relationships and bonds almost unconsciously, and at times they make hard decisions and every day decisions. The big decisions you hear about on the News are just a creation of many smaller ones that rolled and rolled and collected and grew big with momentum.**

**How very philosophical…**

**Anyway. ON TO AHSOKA AND ANAKIN! :D**

_**Review please. I want to know how I'm doing! Every review makes my day. :)**_


	20. Ep04 - Return to Dantooine Part 1 of ?

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, so no sue!**

**Remember to Review. I want to know what you think and how the chapter is to you. Is it good? Is it bad? Anything I need to know? Any ideas or things you want to see in the future?**

* * *

**Episode 4 - Return to Dantooine Part 1/?**

* * *

The days following having finally accepted the woman as mother have been surreal, almost dreamlike in its disbelief.

I know giving her a chance is opening a whole lot of problems, but it doesn't feel that bad, yet. My body hasn't responded to it properly. All my life going on twenty years I have dreamed of this. I tried keeping alive those little fantasies that maybe mother and father had survived, but Nihilus has a funny way of taking away your positivity and leaving you molded in his image.

Turns out, my quirky attitude isn't just a defense mechanism against him, the solitude, and the coldness of my forsaken path, but a trait my mother claims to have. Bit hard to tell she is just as nutso when she is in a hospital bed unable to move, but during dinner she said I got it from her.

Dinner itself was formal, awkward, pleasant, and thankfully went without a hitch. Koj did me proud, Squirt told us of her day (school sounds fascinating!), and the whole time the conversations avoided me like the plague. Not hard to tell why. There was a giant gaping hole in the room called 'twenty-years', and what are you supposed to say to that? I couldn't just walk in, give her a hug, and ask her about her day, oh and did she happen to pick up the laundry while I've been Nihilus's little toy. Maybe she learned some nice pancake recipes.

But for me, there are just too many questions. How did she get the scar? Where was she during the attack?

I know mother got the scar from Nihilus, and she was on a transport in orbit at the time, but that doesn't change the question. Where was she for the last twenty-years? Where was she all the nights I wept in the darkness frightened by the ship's noises? Where was she all the times Nihilus nearly killed me in training and taught me how close one can get to death without losing consciousness, the hard way?

Good thing I didn't open my mouth. That would have been unreasonable and blown everything up.

My feet direct me to one of the weirdest places on the Ravager I would have expected. Visas' room.

Visas is living on the ship as security and part of my council on the ship. Koj is First Mate, Ashley Marr is my assistant and bean-counter, paper-pusher, and person who puts people on hold because I'm too 'busy' sleeping. Squirt is hopping along just because Koj and I don't trust her outside of a mile of us. Cupcake… Cupcake was fun. Every captain needs a… what was it called? Cabin boy? The Three Stooges will do fine at flying once they can find an interface that actually works.

Then there's all these captains and small crews. Seventeen ships varying in size from three to three hundred aspiring to join what is now becoming the largest ship in the Miraluka fleet.

It's too much to put in my head right now, and it's going off track. I knock on her door.

The door cracks open slightly to reveal darkness. The inside of her room is pitch black, but I can barely see whitish skin. "Can I come in?" I ask. She opens the door as answer and I walk in. "I see you have made yourself comfortable…"

Not really. There's nothing in here but three glowing obelisks, a bunch of books, and a blanket on the floor neatly rolled in the corner. The room is completely bare. Now that I remember, this is exactly how her room was after she left, years before I stumbled upon it. It gives off a very strong Dark Side aura almost as thick as mist.

Big ship. Hard to believe two people can be so close for years and not know the other is there.

As for Visas Marr herself, she is wearing skin tight clothes, no hoody, and no eye coverings. I can see her blank eyes in the light of the obelisks. "Sleeping?" I wonder.

"Meditating. Do you need something, captain?" She asks evenly.

I sigh. "Just… someone to talk to."

"You normally talk to Koj, he is your brother, after all." She raises an eyebrow.

"Yes, but even brothers don't talk about some things, and drop the 'captain'. It's just Varus."

She nods in understanding. The one thing we share that no one can understand like us is the one thing that has had the biggest impact on our lives. Darth Nihilus. She loosens up and sits down by one of the obelisks, not to meditate, but to lean against it and allow me to move freely. Comfortable silence fills the room. The silence reminds me more of Nihilus than I would like to admit, but that can be attributed to us, the Dark Side in the air, and the ship.

I chuckle. "This feels so familiar. The silence. I can practically taste Nihilus in the air here."

"He was an unnaturally silent Sith, normally." She reflects. "When he wasn't teaching."

"Ohhhh, yeah. And boy did he. Is it just me or do intellectuals talk the most?" She chuckled with me. It's warming, for someone to know what I'm talking about.

"I'll admit, he was… preachy. The endless talking was perfect contradiction to the endless silence."

"Yes!" I agree. "Oh, that was infuriating!"

And she smiles. Yes, she's smirked, grinned, chuckled, and otherwise been borderline happy while toying with me or being in control of the situation, but this? This is a true smile. This is the Visas I remember as a child.

"You've changed." I note.

She drops the smile and she returns to being stone. "How so?"

"You used to smile a lot more. After torturing me."

She looks down in embarrassment. "How can one not change here? That is what makes me wonder. I was here half as long as you, and… I came out a different person." She reflects. "My little sister used to hero worship me, until she met me and we were reunited. Then she only wept for how broken I was. All these years, I've felt nothing. I've cared for no one, not even Ashley as much as I should. Being happy, even laughing feels… foreign." She looks up at me through blind eyes. "How can you be who you are? How can you smile and crack jokes and laugh and…"

"Because I'm broken." I acknowledge. "I'm not better than you, Visas… If anything, you're better. You don't hide how broken you really are. You are still partially the old you. You were taken at an age when you could remember and hold onto it. I didn't. I wasn't scarred, Visas, I was remade. I'm… not Galen. I don't know how I can be. How can anyone expect me to be? How can I open up to a woman when my heart is just as scarred and broken as her body?"

"…"

"This Varus that people see, it's a shell of Galen." I sigh.

"But you laugh and smile and…"

"And have you noticed I don't take things seriously?!" I yell. My anger is not pointed toward her, of course, but at myself, at my life. This is dangerously close to my core and it's getting my riled up. "You can point a gun at me, have sirens going off, explosions, battles, and have people die all around me and I won't bat an eyelash. I won't blink. I'll be the one who walks over to the side of the room, sits down, and takes a nap. That or being the one blowing everything up to begin with and leaving absolutely no survivors. Because that's what I do! I leave no survivors!"

I blink and return to where I am. I'm holding Visas down against the obelisk with grip tight enough to leave bruises. Her face shows she is in pain, but she doesn't utter a sound.

I release her and skitter away. "Sorry…"

She inspects her arms. There are nasty bruises where my fingers were, but otherwise nothing. "It's fine." Her face is flat. She isn't angry or sad or mad or hurt or anything, and seeing how blank she is again hurts more than if she had jumped me and slapped the crap out of me.

"No it's not!" I yell again. "I am filled with more power than I know what to do with and a short fuse! I can barely sleep, and I snap at the worst of things. I am relaxed around death and battle, but I don't know what to do with peace and what people call a 'normal life'! And yet you people expect me to get cuddly with some women I don't even know!"

The silence explodes in the room again leaving my ears buzzing. I'm winded like I've run a triathlon and breathing heavy. I'm sweating up a storm, my adrenaline is pumping, I'm shaking, electricity is coming off of me in ripples.

And Visas is in very tight clothes equally shaking and sweaty and panting. I never noticed before since she always wears the hoody, but she is very-

I shake the thoughts away before they go somewhere more uncomfortable, apologize, and get out. It's not just the situation with my mother giving me problems… its women as a whole.

For years I've had no exposure, at all. Now suddenly I'm having to play catch-up with a body that has a mind of its own, in addition to very 'fascinating' memories left over courtesy of Revan showing me how INCREDIBLE he thinks his wife is, and at the end of it all I have to figure everything out without blowing up half the ship in a tantrum. And do it all while being exposed to several ones that a particular part of my body notices has curves, and endure the competitive male taunts from Cupcake because he has to have more testosterone than the entire ship combined!

After a cold shower pushes the combination of a sweaty Revan, sweaty Visas, and a few nightmares away, I actually feel better. Venting helped, I guess.

Not long later, I'm being dragged by Ashley to the bridge. Koj, Visas, HK, Ashley, and I stand around a table off in back of the room. The front of the room as my throne where it belongs with no one's butt in it but me.

It's my throne.

I glance at Visas. "Sorry… about…"

"Don't worry about it. Perhaps you're right. You need more time than I have had." She waves it aside, then punches me in the shoulder hard enough to send me toppling into Koj. Koj catches me and HK has a gun in her face instantly.

"Nice to know you aren't holding a grudge." I rub it. "HK, drop it."

"Have you had a chance to review the crews?" Visas asks.

"Yeah… No. I didn't much care. I don't know any of them."

She clicks her tongue thoughtfully. "Uh-huh…"

Ashley says. "Looks like we are going to be having to go over them ourselves, Visas."

"Looks like it."

"Still, where do we stand?" Ashley asks. "Let's review that."

I answer immediately. "There is bad news, and really bad news."

"What's the bad news?"

"The whole galaxy hates us."

"Well, we're off to a great start." Visas mutters sarcastically.

"I think so." HK agrees anyway.

"And the really bad news?" Ashley flinches, afraid to ask.

"That's the part about us being broke, marked as a terrorist ship curtesy of HK, and there is some impersonator out there ticking all the right people off to come after me."

"That's three things!" She answers me.

"No, it's one point stating how we can't fix it."

"There is nothing that cannot be fixed with a proper solution." Koj argues.

"Yep." I agree. "Which is why Ribs, and Visas, were so brilliant in all but twisting my arm into getting a crew and officers and council on this ship to help me do just that. So. Suggestions?"

"Kill everything!" HK says without hesitation.

"I like it." I smile. "Simple. Easy to remember."

"Are we seriously taking suggestions from the droid?" Ashley wonders. No, not really. I just like having it around, and HK is my bodyguard now, provided it finishes it's first duties. It still has to finish marking the doors that would vent air when opened.

"Our options are actually simple when put into perspective." Koj speaks up. "We can take advantage of the mark on us to get on the good side of particularly rebellious scum."

"Next!" Ashley says in horror. Wait, why is she on the council? She's just my assistant.

"We can choose to ignore the situation or do nothing. Which will be dumb as they are the ones coming after us. In which case the better part of 'doing nothing' would be to hide and disappear."

"Is there any place we can hide anymore?" Ashley asks.

Visas says, "No. The galaxy is split between hundreds and hundreds of small factions, but the six major ones take up ninety percent of the galaxy alone. There are very few, if any, truly neutral factions left that we can hide behind or even do business with. We are, for all extents and purposes, exiled. Let's leave the hiding option on the table in case we ever run into someone willing to hide us, or a place truly isolated from the entire galaxy where we can be self-sufficient."

"Alright." I say. "Next?"

"We can fix it." Koj says. "This is, by far, the riskiest option, but the only one with a true solution. Someone out there is faking Varus and driving us deeper and deeper down while he moves freely around. We need to prove without a shadow of a doubt that there is a… how you say… 'evil twin'?"

I grin. "Don't think that's right, but it works." I can just picture my impersonator with a mustache. Oh wait, if he changed his face to look like me, I better not have a mustache. If he is out there twirling that thing, I'm cutting his hands off. That is just wrong.

"And how are we going to fix that?" Visas asks. "Not like we have a Jedi at our disposal who can be a witness to Varus standing here while the holonet shows the impersonator somewhere else."

Yeah… about that. I open my mouth, but Visas continues, "Not to mention, the New Republic and Clans have the Ravager marked. It won't matter where Varus is or the impersonator is. The Ravager is seen as the identifying factor here. No matter where the Ravager goes, it won't change anything. The Miraluka in a difficult position, since any move they make positively toward us will mark them as our caretakers or sympathizers, while any move we make will be matched in turn."

"We need to remove the Miraluka from the field. Find them in a place to hide while we go out and clear our name. A place where no one can find them." Koj removed his blade, rested it on his lap, and started sharpening it.

My eyes land on him sharping his blade, and something in the back of my mind sends up all kinds of flags. I can feel it on the tip of my tongue…

"Which brings us back to the previously stated problem that such a place does not exist!" Ashley argued. Sparks fly off of Koj's katana while he runs the stone over its edge.

Visas says. "We should leave the dilemma of what the Miraluka will do to them, and worry about ourselves. We have a new crew to assimilate, corridors to map, rooms to set up… the workload is monstrous."

Ashley sighs and pinches her nose. "Don't I know it… I have a pile of paperwork to do just in setting things up so Varus can have some work to do."

I drop my feet from the table. "Isn't it a bit soon for… that?" I've barely been captain a week and already I have to do paperwork? She looks at me like I'm an idiot. I'll take that as a no.

Great…

Koj inspects the blade closely. "One of the rooms should be a forge. Without power, we will have to resort to basics in some areas."

Forge…

"The ship has power, but it's so… quanky!" Ashley groans. "Part of the paperwork is that several engineers we acquired asking to redo the whole ship from scratch. Varus hasn't even given them permission to tinker around yet. I'll need to write a list of chief engineers for Varus to select to keep them all from butting heads."

Forge…

Visas adds, "Whoever becomes chief engineer will have to be on the ship's council."

"What's 'quanky'?" Koj wonders.

Forge…

Ashley explains, "It means-"

STAR FORGE! "I GOT IT!" I slam my hands down. Everyone jumps and HK has his gun out and ready. "I have several pieces already. I have Tatooine, Manaan, and Kashyyyk! I am just missing Korriban!" And the final piece would be on the Ravager.

"What are you talking about?" Koj glares at me.

"The Star Forge!"

…

"The what?"

I put my hand up. "Okay, okay… Long story. The Star Forge is a space station hidden in a place that no one knows. It's location is hidden across a number of places. That's why I was on Tatooine remember? I might not have told you, but okay. The Star Forge resides next to a star, and-"

"Since no one knows where it is… it's basically unmapped!" Ashley realizes.

"Exactly. The only ones who ever knew it's location are either dead…" I tap my head. "Or in here. Revan memorized it, after two mind-wipes and a mind suppression, I can't access it directly. I have to follow the same path he took and find the pieces."

"Wrong." Visas spoke up from the side. "Have you forgotten? Bastilla Shan, leader of the Revanchist, Carth Onasi, high admiral of the New Republic, Mandalore, just to name three, all know about it. They were on the Star Forge with Revan against Malak."

Aaaand there goes my bubble. It's gone and burst. She's right. I collapse in my chair and sigh.

Visas continues as though crushing my hopes and dreams is nothing new, "One of the first thing's Mandalore did when he took Korriban was move the ancient map device to a secure facility. He has Manaan, Kashyyyk, the piece from Korriban, and I happen to know the Revanchist snuck a team onto Tatooine for the fourth piece. I should know, I was on it just before I left. There is only one piece remaining that they do not have, and… even I don't know where it is. No one does."

And the bubbles back. "I know where the fifth piece is." I grin like an evil madman.

It was worth it just for the reaction of seeing Visas shocked. Even without eyes necessarily, her ever-calm composure drops and she stares at me slack-jawed. "Where?"

We're all standing on it. Not that I'll actually say it. I put a finger to my lips. "Not saying. You have to wait for the surprise like everyone else." Her surprise turns to aggravation, and boy does this feel good. I've been waiting twenty years to be the source of aggravation for her.

Now… if Mandalore moved the piece from Korriban. We need to find it.

"Ravager." I stand. "Take us to Dantooine. We're going hunting. I'll let Admiral Rib's know the details later."

* * *

Ahsoka and Anakin Skywalker stood before the assembly of Jedi. They had set up camp in the plains of Dantooine. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, the Infinite Temple was nearby. They also didn't know it was the chosen place where Anakin decided to have one of the trials. It was a powerful source of energy that went beyond Light and Dark, into something that was almost prophetic and insightful.

There was so much to do on their little camping adventure, and for the last two months it had been kept to a schedule to give everything a chance to be done. Not everyone was going through a trial or two. They were cleaning up the old Dantooine temple, they were training, they were clearing out hives of wildlife that were terrorizing the farmers, they were mapping tunnels that were said to house a small number of lightsaber amplifier crystals, and that was just what was on the schedule this week.

In the distance, a New Republic dreadnaught landed, and Ahsoka looked up worriedly. "We weren't scheduled to be picked up for a while."

Anakin shared the glance briefly before smirking. "It's okay, Snips. I feel Obi-Wan. Probably visiting." She nodded and smiled. "But how do you think your Padawans will do?"

She shrugged. "Slavian is weak in the Force, excelling in nothing but study and hard work, but he should manage. He trains almost to excess. Aramas will have the hardest time, despite being a physics prodigy. The Trial will hit him the hardest because of his traumatized past."

"He doesn't seem all that traumatized to me."

"He isn't. He bears it well, but you and I both know the Trial will rip open every scar forcefully… I worry for that." She watched as her Padawans trained in the clearing. Slavian's inability to use the Force was so bad, that he had to resort to using a wooden staff to keep from cutting himself, but he bore it with strength and speed rivaling a true monk. He almost reminded her of an ancient Jedi from pictures with his monkish robes, shaved head, and movements.

Aramas on the other hand was so skilled in the Force that he didn't have to move a single part of his body. He only stood and moved his light-balls with his mind. He was more gothic in appearance, without the piercings, and stood simply with his arms looped across his chest and his eyes focused. He had a belt from his shoulders down to his waist with spare balls to use. The only one he held back as a last resort was Babyfly, his first one. The balls when in enough number could share their plasma fields to create shapes.

Slavian was a simple boy without any darkness or trauma. He was as normal as it came at times, and just as innocent. He would be hurt by the temple when he is forced to fight in the same vision-room Ahsoka had to endure the last time. Aramas was a strong boy who endured trauma with his head high. He had no innocence, but didn't fall to darkness or let it break him. He would be hurt by the room Varus entered.

"They can always wait or do a different Trial."

"No. They want to do this, and I have faith they will overcome in the end."

Anakin smiled. "Then that is all they need."

Among the many changes Anakin made, was the change to the Trials. The five old trials were separated into two foundational, required tests, with now four above them where only three are required. All in all, you have to endure two trials, then choose three of four additional ones. Most Padawans went through the first two early on.

The foundational trials were based on extremes, seeing the corruption of the Dark Side, but also seeing how the Light Side can lead to its own corruption if one allows themselves to lose sight of what's important.

The next four were based on more 'work' related things. Skill, resolve through pain, diplomacy, and an adaptive, strategic, or learned mind.

It was both easier and harder to become a full Jedi under him, as the Knight's appeared more elite than before, but he also didn't reject the failures. There was no shame in not being a Knight. If anything, there were more Padawans now than they knew what to do with. The village had truly prospered on Naboo and grown with… families.

It was an amazing thing that took Ahsoka a long time to get over, seeing so many Padawans with parents or having girlfriends/boyfriends or lovers or being married. It both inspired and frightened her.

What would her own parent's think if they knew how far she had come?

What would Varus think of the woman and teacher she had become?

* * *

**Note: One of my major reviewers has started a fiction and has asked for my help. I am doing a bit here and there to help keep him on track. Anyway, he is completely new to this and could use some feedback to help him keep focus, get inspiration, get ideas, and so on. **

**As soon as he releases his first chapter, I'll put up a teaser here with the information you need to find it.**

**Also, incase anyone doesn't understand something from a scene… Visas was horny in the end of the talk while being dealt with aggressively, which gave off pheromones. It play's no real part in the story in the future, but for clarification, she is somewhat S&M based on her personality and history. That's just part of who is she and Varus is the same to a small degree. I didn't decide that. It is just a natural part of their character.  
**

**Try being raised as teenagers by Nihilus and wonder what sex is like, and I'm sure you wont reach the same innocent conclusion as most people.**

**This was about as close to sex as there will ever be. So don't think you will find fanservice! :D**

**Perverts.**

_**Review please. I want to know how I'm doing! Every review makes my day. :)**_


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